The ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity (ACB) joins the global celebrations for the International Youth Day with the theme Transforming Food Systems: Youth Innovation for Human and Planetary Health. In the ASEAN, there are 213 million youth brimming with energy and potential as  productive members of the society, rendering them valuable key players in protecting the region’s rich biodiversity. 

Majority of the youth in the Asia Pacific region are located in the rural areas where they take part in agricultural activities mostly as part of family or subsistence farmers. Their boundless creativity enables them to not only harness the agricultural knowledge that are passed onto them by their parents and grandparents but also improve these farming practices through appropriate technologies to adapt to current environmental and socio-economic conditions.

However, migration from rural to urban areas is a common phenomenon, especially among the youths, according to a UNESCO study in 2018. This leads to a reduction in the youth labour force in rural areas, an ageing rural population, and a decline in agricultural production. Without a doubt, the ASEAN youth are our prime movers in this day and age and we need to translate this strength and energy into positive action. 

While the agriculture sector is a significant contributor to the ASEAN economy, it faces a huge challenge in feeding the region’s growing population and addressing the mounting pressure on natural resources. Unsustainable agricultural practices that result in biodiversity loss and ecosystem destruction are also affecting rural economies and the communities that depend on it, including the youth. The latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) warns us that the unmitigated increase in global temperature can exceed the 1.5 degrees Celsius threshold in the next 20 years unless we substantially reduce our greenhouse gases emissions now.

Globally, there is a growing recognition of nature-based solutions to address current challenges such as climate change, emerging diseases, and food shortage, and to ensure economic recovery, and build resilience as well. However, the responsibility of harnessing and protecting nature so that it may perform its crucial role in solving the challenges of today rests upon the whole-of-society. The youth in particular, are crucial in transforming our collective relationship with nature. They would need, however, sufficient and inclusive support to become more effective actors in this transformation. 

Recognising the importance of empowering the region’s youth, the ACB, through the Biodiversity Conservation and Management of Protected Areas in ASEAN (BCAMP) Project supported by the European Union, established the ASEAN Youth Biodiversity Programme (AYBP). The AYBP develops the capacities of young people in the region and equips them with skills to participate in the lobbying, formulation, and implementation of biodiversity policies from the local to the international levels. 

Last May, the AYBP gathered 20 young biodiversity leaders from all ASEAN Member States to discuss various policy instruments, such as the post-2020 global biodiversity framework (GBF), as well as hone their skills on systems thinking, project management and communication strategies that are necessary in their participation and involvement in policy and ground-level campaigns. The young leaders view the post-2020 GBF as a vital mechanism to achieve the 2050 vision of living in harmony with nature. I am proud that they are further motivated to lend their voices in the development of this framework.

Achieving our long-term vision and transforming our food systems require a change of mindset and lifestyles, especially among the youth. Wherever they are – in the farms, in the parliaments, in the schools, or in the cities – the youth are a crucial part of the solution. 

Dr. Theresa Mundita S. Lim

Executive Director, ASEAN Centre for Biodiversity