Call for Changemakers – IUCN Leaders Forum 2024

The IUCN Leaders Forum is an annual event, gathering leaders and changemakers from around the world, in-person, to discuss innovative solutions to critical global challenges, make bold commitments, build partnerships and catalyse action for impactful change in nature conservation and sustainability.

Selected young changemakers will join leaders from around the world at the IUCN Leaders Forum in Geneva in October 2024 to showcase innovations for transformative change; discuss concrete actions that include nature at the nexus of energy systems, food and agriculture, and human health; and advance nature-positive solutions. Young changemakers will have an exclusive opportunity to pitch their initiatives to influential global leaders from the private sector, government and civil society.

Objectives

• The IUCN Leaders Forum 2024 will focus on three primary objectives:
  • Convening influential and innovative leaders (government, private sector, civil society, sub-national authorities, Indigenous peoples’ organisations, other) with the aim of: facilitating dialogue and building trust across different groups; building relationships, new partnerships and alliances, identifying innovative collective, multi-stakeholder solutions to critical conservation and biodiversity challenges; and advancing the international environmental policy agenda;
  • Offering a platform for global leaders to convene annually in a safe space, to discuss existing and emerging environmental issues and trends, and to continue tracking, monitoring and evaluating progress to ensure nature remains front and centre as countries work towards the 2030 targets and beyond;
  • Creating a networking opportunity for young changemakers who are designing or implementing innovative environmental action projects, to connect with potential collaborators from the public and private sectors to further develop their projects.

Benefits

• Delegate access to the IUCN Leaders Forum in Geneva, Switzerland from 8 to 10 October 2024
• An exclusive opportunity to pitch your environmental action project to influential global leaders from the private sector, government and civil society
• Hotel accommodation in Geneva from 7 to 11 October 2024
• Return travel to Geneva, Switzerland
• Meals and other expenses covered for the duration of stay in Geneva

Who should apply?

• You should apply to be an IUCN Leaders Forum Changemaker if you:
  • Are aged 18 – 35.
  • Have a track record of leadership and innovation in the fields of nature conservation, biodiversity, climate change and / or sustainable development.
  • Are currently working on an innovative solution that addresses the nature, climate and biodiversity crises; and has nature at the nexus of one or more societal challenges (e.g. energy-nature-climate nexus; food-agriculture-nature-climate nexus; transforming urban landscapes for nature and people etc.).
  • They especially encourage candidates whose initiatives foster equity, inclusivity, intergenerational collaboration, and / or adopt a rights-based approach in the design and implementation of the project, to apply.
  • They are looking for a diverse pool of global changemakers to participate in the IUCN Leaders Forum. Youth from the Global South are strongly encouraged to apply, as are youth from minority groups, Indigenous peoples and local communities and young female leaders and innovators from around the world.

For more information, visit One Young World.