BANGKOK, Thailand—The Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA) participated in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Asia's Youth Leaders Forum, a new initiative introduced during their 8th Regional Conservation Forum (RCF 2024). The three-day event, held on 3–5 September at Royal Orchid Sheraton Hotel and Towers, Bangkok, Thailand, gathered conservation leaders and youth advocates across Asia to discuss the Union's 20-year Youth Strategy, which highlights the importance of mainstreaming the engagement of young people in the IUCN programme.
On the first day of RCF 2024, the Youth Leaders Forum included a panel discussion highlighting youth contributions to the IUCN vision. The panel emphasized the need for meaningful youth engagement, leveraging the power of storytelling, and utilizing social media to amplify conservation efforts. Aligned with fostering intergenerational dialogues and collaboration, the forum was also attended by youth and non-youth participants interested in the Union's youth strategy.
Throughout the RCF 2024, an interactive space showcased youth-led conservation projects in Asia. This opened opportunities for participants of all ages to engage in conversations with the youth, exchange ideas, and explore opportunities for collaboration in conservation efforts.
From left to right: Mr. Punlork Men, Ms. Ngo Quynh Mai, Ms. Loise Ann Carandang, and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dat
At the forum, SEARCA was represented by Ms. Loise Ann Carandang, Senior Associate for Communications, Partnerships Unit, and co-lead of SEARCA's banner youth engagement initiative, Young Forces for Agricultural Innovation (#Y4AGRI). She met with the SEARCA-sponsored youth delegates Mr. Punlork Men, SEARCA-Center of Excellence on Sustainable Agricultural Intensification and Nutrition (CE SAIN) scholar at Kasetsart University from Cambodia, and Ms. Ngo Quynh Mai and Mr. Nguyen Thanh Dat from Vietnam, both of IUCN Vietnam. Ms. Carandang shared with them #Y4AGRI's ongoing initiatives, which are open to youth participation and collaboration across Southeast Asia. The discussion ended with a quick tour of the IUCN Vietnam youth's booths in the forum's interactive space.
Recognizing the challenge of enjoining the youth in sustainable development and conservation efforts, the SEARCA-supported IUCN youth delegates will collaborate with SEARCA to explore activities aimed at increasing youth engagement in agricultural and rural development, as well as nature conservation. This marks another step toward co-creating and developing #Y4AGRI programs with and for Southeast Asian youth.