Youth Summit 2026

by Young@Mission21

The Youth Summit 2026 is a two-day, international online event for young adults, where participants aged 18 - 35 can exchange ideas and learn together on key issues of global justice.

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On 27 and 28. The International Youth Summit will take place online via Zoom for the 9th time on March 2026. This year, everything revolves around the preservation and promotion of biodiversity.In the three sessions, we will be looking at new perspectives, socio-cultural approaches and, of course, the commitment of young adults worldwide.

The Youth Summit 2026 will soon be live. The young@mission21 team and the Sounding Board are pleased to announce that this year's edition will be larger than in previous years. After around 140 young adults from 38 countries registered in 2025 and the participants were highly engaged in the event, we would like to fulfill their wish for more space to share and learn together. To this end, we have extended the Youth Summit to two days and more than doubled the time! So mark the dates in your calendars: the Youth Summit 2026 will take place online via Zoom on Friday, March 27 and Saturday, March 28, 2026. Register today here, We look forward to your participation.

The Youth Summit 2026 will take place during the following time slots. All times are in CET. You can find your time zone here.

Friday, March 27, 5:00 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. CET	New Perspectives on the Impacts of a Decrease in Biodiversity and Local Adaptations
Saturday, March 28, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. CET	The Heritage of Biodiversity Conservation
Saturday, March 28, 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. CET	Youth Actions against the Decrease in Biodiversity

Conditions of Participation & Code of Conduct (Youth Summit 2026)

Speakers

Protecting water bodies and human health by reducing the use of pesticides in Switzerland

Fabienne Genewein (Switzerland)

Fabienne Genewein is currently an intern at WWF Switzerland, where she is working on agricultural policy with a focus on reducing the use of synthetic chemical pesticides in Switzerland.

Find out more about Fabienne Genewein

Fabienne is completing her internship at WWF Switzerland as part of her Master's degree in Environmental and Systems Science and Policy at ETH Zurich. She holds a Bachelor of Science in Biology and is passionate about transforming food systems towards more resilience, sustainability and equity. She is particularly interested in the role of governance, regulation and civil society in promoting the transformation of food systems. In her master's thesis, she investigated whether citizen assemblies produce more transformative policy recommendations for food systems than traditional policy-making bodies.

Indigenous knowledge and the responsible use of biodiversity

Junia Anilik (Malaysia)

Junia Anilik is a Kadazan from Sabah, Malaysia, and works for the PACOS Trust. She supports indigenous communities to strengthen traditional knowledge, self-governance and biodiversity conservation through youth and community-led initiatives.

Find out more about Junia Anilik

Junia Anilik comes from the district Penampang in Sabah, Borneo, Malaysia. She works for the PACOS Trust, an organization that promotes the rights of indigenous peoples and the development of local communities. Her work focuses on strengthening traditional knowledge, community self-governance, youth leadership development and biodiversity conservation. It works closely with indigenous communities to document and revitalize cultural practices that contribute to the conservation of forests, rivers and traditional landscapes. Through participatory programs and exchange, it helps to anchor indigenous perspectives more firmly in discussions about environmental protection and climate change.

The cultural and religious heritage of biodiversity conservation

Regula Armingeon (Switzerland)

Regula Armingeonis an environmental engineer and former IT specialist. She works as a climate protection officer for the Reformed Church of Bern-Jura-Solothurn. Her work focuses on the preservation of creation and strengthening communities in the mindful use of the earth's resources.

Learn more about Regula Armingeon

After graduating as an environmental engineer, Regula worked for various municipalities, where she was responsible for the areas of energy, mobility and nature conservation. She has been working for the Reformed Church as a climate protection officer since 2024. In this role, she supports reformed parishes in using the earth's resources carefully. Regula's own experiences of nature have awakened in her the desire to protect the earth. She is convinced, that es many different approaches to tackling the climate crisis gives. Let's be bold and take action. She will present you with some concrete ideas.

Gender justice and biodiversity protection

Katherine Edith Meza Alegre (Perú)

Katherine Meza is a sociologist and gender expert with many years of experience in supporting indigenous organizations and community-led projects in the Andes. Ihr focus lies on gender equality, participatory processes, climate justice and program support.

Find out more about Katherine Edith Meza Alegre

Katherine Meza is a sociologist and gender expert with experience in working with indigenous organizations, grassroots women's groups and civil society initiatives in the Andean region of Peru. Her work focuses on gender equality, participatory methods, climate justice and land rights. She has supported the implementation of programs, monitoring and evaluation processes and fundraising initiatives, contributing to community research projects and community-driven development projects. She is particularly interested in intercultural approaches that strengthen collective leadership, local knowledge and inclusive environmental governance.

Perspectives of indigenous and local communities on biodiversity conservation

Glendy Caichihua (Perú)

Glendy Caichihua is a forest conservation expert with experience in leading conservation and ecosystem-based adaptation initiatives in the Andean and Amazonian regions of Peru. Her work focuses on strengthening local capacities to secure livelihoods and improve adaptation to climate change, incorporating gender, intercultural and territorial approaches.

Learn more about Glendy Caichihua

Glendy Caichihua has extensive experience in the design and implementation of conservation projects in diverse socio-ecological contexts. She has worked closely with indigenous and local communities, promoting participatory processes, environmental management and capacity building for conservation and climate change adaptation.

She is a fellow of the Global Diversity Foundation's Conservation and Communities Fellowship (CCF) and an active member of international environmental networks, bringing a strong perspective on climate justice and inclusive conservation. Her work focuses on integrating local knowledge systems with technical tools to strengthen sustainable, community-led solutions.

The cultural and religious heritage of biodiversity conservation

George Matey Okorley (Ghana)

George Matey Okorleyis a faith and development expert, environmental strategist and author working at the intersection of theology, Community-Edevelopment and climate resilience. With his work, he is committed to the preservation of Creation, indigenous knowledge and youth leadership development, and supports churches and communities across Ghana and West Africa in linking environmental stewardship, ethical governance and sustainable development .

Learn more about George Matey Okorley

George Matey Okorleyis a Ghanaian development expert, environmental activist and public thinker whose work focuses on the moral and spiritual foundations of environmental stewardship. Working at the intersection of faith, culture and sustainability, he is committed to helping churches, communities and institutions rethink humanity's responsibility to the earth. His areas of interest include the integrity of creation, indigenous ecological knowledge, ethical leadership and youth education. Through research, writing and public engagement, he seeks to revitalize traditions of stewardship that can inspire more responsible and hopeful responses to today's environmental challenges in Ghana and across West Africa.

Effective nature conservation with remote sensing in conflict-affected regions

Manuel Weber (DR Congo)

Manuel Weber is an environmental scientist and works as a biomonitoring and research consultant for the Upemba-National Park in the DR Congo. At the same time, he is doing his doctorate at Wageningen University in the Netherlands in the field of remote sensing and geoinformation systems. He is working on the question of how sustainable and effective nature conservation can be achieved in conflict-affected regions.

Find out more about Manuel Weber

Manuel studied environmental sciences in Germany, Switzerland and South Africa. Since 2018, alongside his studies, he has been working in various roles in nature conservation in sub-Saharan Africa: initially in the field of Combating poaching in South Africa, later in nature conservation management in Namibia, as an ornithologist in Chad and finally, from 2023, as a consultant for the Upemba-National Park in the DR Congo. Its tasks include the training and further education of local specialists, advising the park management on ecological issues and coordinating the Working with spatial data. Since 2025, he has been doing his doctorate as an external PhD student at Wageningen University in the field of remote sensing and geoinformation systems.

Bolivian youth for biodiversity

Denilson Gary Sarco Hancco (Bolivia)

Denilson Gary Sarco Hancco is a lawyer with a degree from UMSA and the Andean University and is involved as a parliamentarian in the areas of international law, human rights, environmental justice, sustainable finance and youth leadership.

Learn more about Denilson Gary Sarco Hancco

Denilson Gary Sarco Hancco is a law graduate from the Universidad Mayor de San Andrés (UMSA) and a member of the Andean University Parliament. His work focuses on international law, human rights, environmental justice and sustainable development. He is currently completing a Diploma in Human Rights and the Rights of Nature at the Autonomous University of Barcelona and the Digital Diploma in Leadership for Social Inclusion and Access to Rights of the OAS. He is alsosss part of GFLAC's Youth Program for Sustainable Finance 2026 and is a volunteer at the Comunidad Juvenil Bolivia (WWF) and the network „Active Masculinities“ from IPAS Bolivia.

Bolivian youth for biodiversity

Gastón Joshua Zientarski (Bolivia)

Gastón Joshua Zientarski is a lawyer and political activist with 15 years of experience in activism. He is a member of the youth community of WWF Bolivia.

Find out more about Gastón Joshua Zientarski

Traditional knowledge and modern science: building a bridge between culture and science for the global protection of biodiversity

Ezekiel Nartey (Ghana)

Ezekiel is a conservation strategist who specializes in the concept of „two-Eyed Seeing“ - combining indigenous ecological knowledge with modern data science to develop holistic, community-led solutions to protect the world's most endangered ecosystems.

Learn more about Ezekiel Nartey

Ezekiel works at the interface between traditional heritage and cutting-edge research. Under the Concept „Traditional knowledge, modern science“, he is investigating how 80 % of the world's biodiversity is conserved in areas managed by indigenous peoples. His work demonstrates that modern technologies such as satellite mapping and genomics are most effective when supported by the longstanding, lived experiences of local communities.

The organizers

img 2890 team young with sarah heller 4zu3

We are Mandula, Sarah, Jonas and Carole.
We work part-time for young@mission21.

Contact
Tel.: +41 (0)61 260 22 39
► E-mail

FAQs

Do I have to take part in all three events?

Do I have to be of legal age to take part?

How much does it cost to take part in the Youth Summit 2026?

Will I receive a certificate for my participation?

What is Mission 21?

Mission 21 is active in 15 countries in Africa, Asia and Latin America as part of sustainable development cooperation and humanitarian aid for peacebuilding, education, health, food sovereignty and against violence against women and children. In this way, we contribute to achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals. We combine this worldwide commitment in our work as an international learning community with programs for transcultural exchange and interreligious cooperation, as well as promoting an understanding of global interrelationships. Young@Mission21 is Mission 21's network for young adults. We are committed to cultural exchange between young adults from all over the world and work for a just world.

Youth Summit 2026

Conditions of Participation & Code of Conduct (Youth Summit 2026)

Speakers

Protecting water bodies and human health by reducing the use of pesticides in Switzerland

Fabienne Genewein (Switzerland)

Indigenous knowledge and the responsible use of biodiversity

Junia Anilik (Malaysia)

The cultural and religious heritage of biodiversity conservation

Regula Armingeon (Switzerland)

Gender justice and biodiversity protection

Katherine Edith Meza Alegre (Perú)

Perspectives of indigenous and local communities on biodiversity conservation

Glendy Caichihua (Perú)

The cultural and religious heritage of biodiversity conservation

George Matey Okorley (Ghana)

Effective nature conservation with remote sensing in conflict-affected regions

Manuel Weber (DR Congo)

Bolivian youth for biodiversity

Denilson Gary Sarco Hancco (Bolivia)

Bolivian youth for biodiversity

Gastón Joshua Zientarski (Bolivia)

Traditional knowledge and modern science: building a bridge between culture and science for the global protection of biodiversity

Ezekiel Nartey (Ghana)

The organizers

FAQs

Hope thanks to your support