Young people across the Global South are leading efforts on land restoration, drought resilience, sustainable agriculture, climate change, biodiversity, food systems, environmental governance, and community resilience. Yet many remain excluded from international environmental conferences because they lack access to accredited organizations, institutional support, or information about participation processes.
To help address this gap, Lead for Earth has launched the Global South Youth Access Initiative for UNCCD COP17.
Through this initiative, Lead for Earth will offer a limited number of observer accreditation opportunities to eligible youth representatives from the Global South who are actively contributing to environmental and sustainable development work.
What is UNCCD COP17?
The 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD) will take place in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia, from 17 to 28 August 2026. The UNCCD is the only legally binding international agreement focused on addressing desertification, land degradation, and drought. As the Convention's highest decision-making meeting, COP17 will bring together governments, civil society organizations, Indigenous Peoples, youth, researchers, businesses, and other stakeholders to advance global action on land restoration, sustainable land management, and drought resilience.
What does observer accreditation mean?
Observer accreditation is the official process through which an eligible civil society organization can nominate representatives to attend a United Nations conference.
In simple terms, accreditation provides formal access to the conference venue and allows selected participants to attend relevant meetings, side events, and discussions. Observers can share expertise, engage with delegates, build partnerships, and contribute perspectives, although they do not vote in government negotiations.
Accreditation provides conference access only. It does not include funding.
Who should apply?
The initiative is intended for youth representatives from the Global South who are working in areas such as:
Land restoration, desertification, and drought resilience;
Sustainable agriculture, food systems, and nature-based solutions;
Climate change and biodiversity;
Indigenous Peoples and community development;
Environmental governance, research, policy, and advocacy; and
Youth engagement and locally led environmental action.
Applicants should demonstrate relevant experience, a clear reason for attending COP17, and a plan for sharing the knowledge and experience gained after the conference.
Important Information
This opportunity provides UNCCD COP17 observer accreditation only.
Lead for Earth will not cover travel, accommodation, visa fees, insurance, meals, or other participation expenses. Applicants should apply only if they are able to arrange or secure their own funding to attend the conference.
Selected participants will be expected to:
Participate actively throughout UNCCD COP17;
Contribute to Lead for Earth’s activities before, during, and after the conference;
Share updates or reflections during COP17;
Submit one short article or post after the conference; and
Follow the UNCCD Code of Conduct and Lead for Earth’s values.
Submitting an application does not guarantee selection, accreditation, visa approval, funding, or entry into the conference. Selection will depend on available accreditation spaces, applicant eligibility, relevance of experience, regional and thematic diversity, and organizational capacity.
Apply
Interested applicants are invited to complete the application form:
Application Form:
https://forms.gle/J3moDf1p5GoiQxWcA
Application Deadline:
31 July 2026, 11:59 PM UTC
Estimated completion time:
5–8 minutes
Organizations and networks are encouraged to share this opportunity with young people who may otherwise have limited access to international environmental processes.
Meaningful participation should not depend only on who already has institutional access. This initiative seeks to help more young leaders from the Global South bring their knowledge, experience, and community perspectives into global land and drought governance.
To add to or correct any information in this report, please contact me at vrinda@lead4earth.org.
0
0
Comments