Message from the Chair
| As we enter the new year, I’d like to thank each and every one of you for the contributions you’ve made to CEC’s mission in your own fields and corners of the world. We’ve planted many seeds together in 2024 that we know will sprout and flower throughout this new year! Our Commission members were critical in supporting IUCN’s Regional Conservation Fora (RCFs) around the world, elevating youth participation, supporting the interlinkages between education and conservation, and sparking new partnerships for environmental communications across the Union. During the RCFs, CEC Members honored the 2024 CEC Regional Awardees – exceptional CEC Members whose exemplary work across decades has advanced the CEC’s mission in their region. At the UN CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia in October, IUCN CEC was proud to coordinate Education Day at the KM-GBF Pavilion alongside UNESCO and the CBD Secretariat, bringing together over 300 participants and 40 speakers from government, formal and non-formal education, NGOs, and youth and Indigenous peoples organizations. Our Members advocated in Baku, Azerbaijan, at the UNFCCC COP29, for the continued inclusion of education in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and in national-level climate commitments, and for the increased investment by Parties in transformative climate education. At the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, CEC Members led sessions and elevated the importance of youth inclusion in restoration efforts and the critical role of nature and sustainability education for the future of our ecosystems. This summer, CEC led the launch of the new IUCN Task Force on Nature-based Education, This collaboration of over 150 educational experts from around the world will elevate global innovations at the nexus of biodiversity and climate education by supporting new research, case studies, and action plans for Nature-based Education. This will build on previous work across the CEC to bring nature back into education, and bring education back into nature. In the November 2024 issue of Unite for Nature, the IUCN Members Magazine, we were proud to have highlighted the #NatureForAll Movement (page 7), showcasing this longstanding and growing network of over 600 organisations globally who inspire lifelong connections to nature. This year promises to be just as fruitful as the year past, as we prepare for the 2025 IUCN World Conservation Congress (WCC) together. The nascent phases of WCC planning already reveal that IUCN CEC will again support substantive youth engagement throughout the Congress and will be seeking ways to bring partners together to showcase Nature-based Education work around the world. IUCN CEC will lead the design and development of a bold and dynamic Nature-based Education Pavilion for the WCC. We are currently seeking sponsors for the Pavilion. I invite all interested organizations to contact me to learn more about this opportunity. Finally, I am very pleased to share with this community that in September I joined the Canadian Wildlife Federation as CEO, where I am proud to continue to lead an IUCN Member organization and to foster a true culture of conservation across Canada. I look forward to working with you in the new year.  Sean Southey, [email protected] Chair, IUCN Commission on Education and Communication |
CEC at the IUCN Regional Conservation Fora
CEC Members contributed actively to the IUCN 2024 Regional Conservation Fora around the world, with CEC Chair Sean Southey attending five of the nine Fora to represent the Commission, meet CEC Members, and showcase our global work.
CEC Members and RCF participants at the Regional Conservation Forum in Mexico City
In Mexico, CEC Steering Committee Members Carlos del Ángel Estrada and Ana Mandri ran sessions on effective communications and supported youth and indigenous engagement throughout the RCF. Carlos del Ángel Estrada also shared his expertise as videographer for the event.
In Kenya, CEC Chair Sean Southey and Deputy Chair Dr. Meg Otieno supported the pre-Forum Youth Summit, a Film Night, and encouraged youth participation throughout the Forum.
In Thailand, CEC Regional Vice Chairs Vasanti Rao and Hanying Li hosted IUCN CEC Regional Awards ceremony for South and Southeast Asia and East Asia, mobilized youth from the region to participate in the Forum, and organized an CEC exhibition booth.
CEC Leaders host youth space and CEC spaces at the RCF in Bruges.
In Belgium, the RCF24ENCA gathered around 400 delegates from West Europe and East Europe, North and Central Asia. CEC co-chair Ms. Katalin Czippan, CEC Regional Vice Chair for Western Europe and Chair of IUCN Youth Advisory Committee, Ms. Diana Garlytska and CEC Regional Vice Chair for Eastern Europe, and Dr Aleksei Zavarzin managed the CEC corner, presenting CEC and connecting with CEC Members across the regions. They worked with RCF organizers to build momentum for youth participation, coordinated sessions on “Nature-based education: empowering children & youth for prosperous future” as well as the IUCN CEC Member Meeting and actively participated in many discussions and panels. Two special side events – one dedicated to the 20th anniversary of the IUCN Eastern Europe, North and Central Asia Regional Office and another – the ICENCA members informal meeting were co-sponsored by the CEC. Many photos from this beautiful Forum are available by the link.
In the United States, CEC Members along with Chair Sean Southey supported a unique Motions Breakout Session on Education, advancing IUCN Member organizing around new motions ahead of the 2025 WCC. Watch the highlight video here.
In Canada, Chair Sean Southey along with CEC Members Mike Bingley of the Canadian Wildlife Federation and James Bartram ran a half-day interactive Nature-based Education Workshop to explore how the Canadian conservation community is engaging with formal and nonformal education sectors to advance global biodiversity and climate targets of the UNFCCC Paris Agreement and UN CBD Global Biodiversity Framework. The Workshop brought together 50 delegates, including youth and high-level education policymakers. Watch the highlight video here. In addition, CEC Regional Chair Marie-Philippe Ouellet helped coordinate a #NatureForAll Trivia Night, bringing RCF participants together with participants from the concurrent World Trails Conference.
CEC Chair Sean Southey and CEC Regional Vice Chair for West Asia Firas Abd-Alhadi with colleagues at the RCF in Riyadh.
In Saudi Arabia, CEC Regional Vice Chair for West Asia, Mr Firas Abd-Alhadi and Chair Sean Southey participated in panels throughout the RCF and Diana Garlytska hosted a session on technology and youth.
CEC Regional Awards
The Regional Conservation Fora were also a time to celebrate and honour the influential and catalytic work of IUCN CEC Members from around the world. In several regions, IUCN CEC presented regional awards to CEC Members whose longstanding commitment to conservation communication and environmental education has advanced CEC’s mission and goals in their region.
From left to right, CEC Chair Sean Southey presents Maulidi Mwinyikai with the CEC Regional Award at the Africa Conservation Forum, along with CEC Deputy Chair Dr. Margaret Otieno.
CEC Regional Vice Chair for West Europe, Diana Garlytska presents Johannes Kostenzer with the CEC Regional Award for West Europe at the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival in October 2024.
CEC Regional Vice Chair for CEC Regional Vice Chair for West Europe, Diana Garlytska presents Johannes Kostenzer with the CEC Regional Award for West Europe at the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival in October 2024.
Vivienne Solis Rivera (Costa Rica) for 20 years of service to IUCN CEC, and advancing conservation and human rights in Costa Rica and across Central America. Her organisation,Coopesolidar, founded in 2000, works to ensure that cultural and biological wealth improves the quality of life of the population, with justice and equity, through support in participatory decision-making processes at the local and national levels.
Maulidi Mwinyikai (Kenya) for his leadership as Founder of the Kishoka Youth Organization, which sparks love for nature across Kenyan youth and supports them to become the green leaders and conservation champions of the future.
Dr. Biswajit De (India) for his role in designing and leading community environmental awareness and conservation education programs across northern India. Dr. De accomplishes this through his organization, WildRoots India, and his development of theYouth Climate and Conservation Fellowship Program, supported by IUCN CEC and launched in 2022.
Lukasz Madrzynski (China) for his role as a proactive member of IUCN CEC and his support for IUCN Member organizations, including Jane Goodall Foundation, the Nature Conservancy and China Biodiversity Conservation and Green Development Foundation. Lukasz is Co-Founder of Cloud Mountain Sustainability Education.
Johannes Kostenzer (Austria) for advancing public engagement in conservation and his defence of biodiversity and landscapes in the Tyrol region of Austria on multiple fronts. Johannes is also Festival Director for the Innsbruck Nature Film Festival.
Jesse Hildebrand (Canada) for his exceptional work connecting students and teachers with global conservation issues. Jesse is VP for Education at Exploring by the Seat of your Pants, which since 2015 has reached 1.5 million students through over 4,000 live online lessons on nature, conservation, and our planet.
Update from CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia
T
he CEC leadership meets in Villa de Leyva, Colombia for their Annual Steering Committee Meeting ahead of their leadership at COP16 in Cali.
IUCN CEC held its annual in-person Steering Committee Meeting in Villa de Leyva ahead of COP16 in Cali, Colombia. The IUCN Commission on Education and Communication led Education Day at the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework Pavilion on October 23, 2024 at the UN CBD COP16 in Cali, Colombia, assembling over 300 intergenerational leaders to build momentum for ambitious global commitments to biodiversity education. Alongside UNESCO and the CBD Secretariat, IUCN CEC brought together many partners to celebrate and chart the future for biodiversity, climate, and nature education.
Update from UNFCCC COP29 Baku, Azerbaijan
Education was a central theme at COP29 in Baku, Azerbaijan, highlighting its critical role in equipping individuals with the knowledge and skills needed to understand and combat climate change. IUCN Member EARTHDAY.ORG supported education events across COP29 and assembled leaders, including IUCN Director General Grethel Aguilar, to elevate climate and nature education as a priority for parties.
Update from UNCCD COP16 Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
IUCN CEC Regional Vice Chair for North Africa, Kenza Khallafi represented the la Fondation Mohammed VI and IUCN CEC at the UNCCD COP16 in Riyadh. The Foundation supported events across COP16 that reinforced the place of youth in restoration efforts and the regional role in shaping environmental education and education for sustainable development.
