ELC Co-hosts Workshop at IUCN Youth Summit

Photo by Ehimetalor Akhere Unuabona on Unsplash

By Michelle Bender and Chloe Heskett

In early April, about 170 youthful participants gathered virtually for a webinar and one-of-a-kind workshop on the Rights of Nature led by the Earth Law Center (ELC) and the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN) Youth Hub.

By Youth, For Youth

Hosted as part of the first International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Global Youth Summit in the first half of April, the joint ELC and GARN event was unique for its highly participatory nature. Attendees and facilitators got the chance to put their understanding of the Rights of Nature to use as they workshopped the IUCN’s conservation statutes together, and contributed to a declaration that was submitted to the Global Youth Summit.

“I loved seeing how the way participants were interacting shifted completely towards the end,” said co-facilitator, Ecuadorian Rights of Nature advocate and co-founder of the GARN Youth Hub Rafaela Iturralde. “The introduction was a great bridge and prep for the workshop as participants got themselves in a new mindset that many might have not experienced before.” 

Global Participation for Community Action

The event drew participation from around the world, with many of the attendees new to the Rights of Nature space.

Lauren Tarr, PhD candidate at the State University of New York (SUNY ESF) and GARN Youth Hub facilitator as well as co-facilitator of the workshop noted that it was wonderful to connect with people around the world about the Rights of Nature movement, and that the virtual and free format of the event meant more opportunity for many to participate.

“The diversity of backgrounds and experiences at this conference was enlightening and inspiring,” she said. “Having the conference be both online and free removed a lot of the traditional barriers (travel and costs) associated with international conferences. These barriers are especially prominent for youth who have limited funds and mobility.”

Removing barriers to participation not only enables youth from around the world to participate, but galvanizes community-level action. Shrishtee Bajpai, an activist-researcher with Kalpavriksh and Rights of Rivers South Asia Alliance (RORSA) in India shared her excitement “to encourage many more young people to join the efforts locally in their respective regions and create solidarity networks globally." 

A Call to Action

In addition to providing participants with a primer on the Rights of Nature legal movement, attendees participated in crafting a youth-led Rights of Nature declaration, which included a pledge to take “further action in deepening and spreading the awareness of the fundamental and inalienable rights of Nature and of future generations.” 

These actions are further spelled out in the declaration, and include restoring connection with Nature, spreading awareness within communities, paying greater attention to the way Nature is represented in language, self-educating about land histories and supporting Indigenous rights and sovereignty as well as advocating with educational institutions to include Rights of Nature frameworks in curricula.

Additionally, a key takeaway outlined in the declaration was a collective desire to continue to create space for youth to participate in the movement, including by “creating an IUCN Commission (or working group within each Commission) for Youth.” This was one of many policy demands made to the IUCN, calling on the Union to implement their commitments to ensure Rights of Nature is a focal point of decision making, as called for in IUCN’s Resolution 100.

“Young people have shown the desire and commitment to be part of the dialogue and conversation around the rights of nature, conservation of nature and climate emergency,” concluded Jack Omondi, co-facilitator and Membership and Outreach Facilitator at the GARN Youth Hub. 

Youth Rights of Nature leaders from ELC, GARN, and the IUCN will continue working towards putting the recommendations into action, and engaging a wider audience around advocating for the Rights of Nature internationally.