“A virtual dialogue by, for, and among Indigenous youth with global inclusion.”

The third Global Indigenous Youth Summit on Climate Change (GIYSCC) will be held 9 August 2025, circling the Earth with the Sun across three 8-hour time zones in 24 hours (00:00 GMT – 24:00 GMT) on the United Nations International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples.   GIYSCC-2025 is hosted again by Future Earth with Science Diplomacy Center™ coordination in collaboration with the Africa and Asia Regional Chapters of the International Network for Government Science Advice (INGSA) among many key collaborators (please see below).

This “virtual dialogue by, for and among Indigenous youth with global inclusion” builds on GIYSCC-2024 and GIYSCC-2023, which was hosted by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR), involving 2100+ registrants from 136 nations and representing nearly 290 languages in the first two years (please see PAST SUMMITS) during this International Decade of Indigenous Languages 2022-2032.

A legacy contribution from GIYSCC-2023 is the invited Nature Commentary that Indigenous Youth Must Be at the Forefront of Climate Diplomacy, building a Global Partnership of Indigenous Youth in the spirt of SDG 17 among the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals with planetary focus on Climate Action (SDG 13).

Indigenous Youth Leaders

Prarthona Datta

Canada

Prokriti Datta

Canada

F. Dermmillah Obare

Kenya

Dr. Godwin Anywar

Uganda

Sushma Shrestha

Nepal

Stephanie Guarachi

Bolivia

Hasina Ravoniaina Fiaferana

Madagascar

Muhammad Rauf

Indonesia

Ricardo Santos Magalhães

Brazil

Maria Conceição Lima Amazonas

Brazil

Region 1 Lead

Asia Co-Leads

Arctic Co-Lead

Middle East Lead

  • Dr. Ehsan Khalefa, School of the Environment, Geography & Geoscience , University of Portsmouth; ehsan.khalefa@port.ac.uk

Africa Co-Leads

  • Dr. Onja Razanamaro, Scientific Researcher,
  • Dr. Devina Lobine, Global Young Academy (GYA), JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research – Mauritius; devina.lobine@gmail.com
  • Dr. Temitope O. Sogbanmu, Evidence Use in Environmental Policymaking in Nigeria (EUEPiN), University of Lagos (UNILAG) & Nigerian Young Academy (NYA); tsogbanmu@unilag.edu.ng
  • Dr. Thashree Marimuthu, Wits University and Global Young Academy
  • Rasoloarison Jean Innocent, Accounting Manager, Aro baobab association; rasoloarison.j@gmail.com
  • Andilyat Mohamed, Lecturer at Herbier National Université des Comores; andilyat@herbierdescomores.com

North Africa Lead

  • Reham Fathey Ali Mohamed, University & Faculty of Organic Agriculture, Heliopolis University; reham.ali@agr.cu.edu.eg

Eastern Africa Co-Leads

Western Africa Leads

  • Dr. Temitope O. Sogbanmu, Evidence Use in Environmental Policymaking in Nigeria (EUEPiN), University of Lagos (UNILAG) & Nigerian Young Academy (NYA); tsogbanmu@unilag.edu.ng

Western Africa Co-Leads

Central Africa Lead

  • Kades Ben Mabiala, United Network for Climate Inclusivity Advocacy Livelihoods, Inherent Utilization and Mobilization (UNCIALIUM); kbenmabiala@gmail.com

South Africa Lead

  • Dr. Adeyemi O. Aremu, Indigenous Knowledge Systems Centre, North-West University, South Africa; Oladapo.Aremu@nwu.ac.za

Europe Co-Lead and Arctic Co-Lead

Region 3 Lead

  • Dr. Luisa Maria Diele-Viegas, GYA, ABECO, Kunhã Asé Network, OWSD, BioDivA Lab, Federal University of Bahia; luisa.mviegas@gmail.com

South America Co-Leads

Arctic Co-Leads

North America Co-Leads

There are more than 370 million Indigenous people in some 70 countries worldwide. Indigenous cultures and communities are precious intrinsically, but also as guides for all humanity with direct relevance for our sustainable development across generations on Earth. Since the 20th century, humanity has been learning to operate as a globally interconnected civilization, represented clearly by the “common concern of humankind” in our climate with its variability on a planetary scale across decades-to-centuries.

The Global Summit main objectives are:

  • Providing a ‘one of a kind’ platform to accelerate global engagement with Indigenous youth communities, cultures, languages, ethnicities, countries and continents across the world;
  • Sharing youth perspectives, approaches, observations, concerns, interests and strategies to address the local impacts of climate change across Indigenous communities on Earth;
  • Stimulating lifelong learning among Indigenous youth to contribute with knowledge and skills in the evolution of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and related global agreements that have regular Conferences of the Parties;
  • Enhancing intergenerational synergies in view of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and other Indigenous declarations;
  • Inspiring Indigenous youth leaders to think short-to-long term across their lifetimes into the 22nd century to empower progress with sustainable development at local-to-global levels.

The breadth of challenges posed by climate change at local-to-global levels is a multilateral concern across the spectrum of subnational-national-international jurisdictions. At the same time, rapidly changing climatic conditions have increased levels of uncertainty and anxiety among the youth on Earth. Nonetheless, the unprecedented mobilization of youth around the world shows the massive power they possess as essential contributors to informed decisionmaking on planetary scale, which is symbolized by Earth’s climate. Youth and especially Indigenous youth have key roles to enhance multilateral cooperation on climate action, helping humanity to operate for the benefit of all on Earth across generations.

Founding Partners:

Additional partners: