“A Look Back at COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity”
This event has already taken place!
By Marie-Morgane Rouyer, a doctoral student at CEFE, and Anaëlle Durfort, a doctoral student at MARBEC, members of the French-speaking delegation of the Global Youth Network for Biodiversity.
Two doctoral students from research units overseen by the University of Montpellier—CEFE and MARBEC—are participating in COP15 in Montreal from December 5 to 12 as part of the Global Youth Biodiversity Network ( GYBN).
Recognized and supported by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity, the GYBN represents the voice of youth worldwide in negotiations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the UN treaty on biodiversity. Since 2018, this network has conducted consultations with young people in more than 100 countries worldwide to amplify their voices for the new post-2020 global framework being discussed at COP15 in December 2022. The GYBN also raises awareness among young people about the value of biodiversity and connects individuals and youth organizations to build a global coalition to halt biodiversity loss. The network is coordinated by an international committee and is entirely run by young people, for young people.
To maximize its impact at COP15, the GYBN assigned specific roles to its members: policy advocacy, organizing events and demonstrations, monitoring negotiations, coordinating the delegation, seeking partnerships, and ensuring the delegation’s well-being.
Marie-Morgane Rouyer, a doctoral student in marine ecology and conservation at CEFE, is a member of the Francophone delegation’s coordination team. She will draw on her experience as co-coordinator of the European chapter of GYBN to help prepare, train, and empower the Francophone delegation, as well as to assist in monitoring the negotiations.
Anaëlle Durfort, a doctoral student in marine ecology at MARBEC, is a member of the Francophone delegation’s “policy” team. In this role, she will help monitor the negotiations and report on sticking points, progress, and decisions made during the negotiation sessions. She will also help serve as a liaison between GYBN and the French and European delegations to ensure that the demands raised by young people are taken into account.
These projects have received funding from various sources: the Gaïa Doctoral School, the UMR, the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse, and the NaturCom Chair of the University of Montpellier Foundation.
The University of Montpellier is partnering with GNAUM and the NaturCom Chair to host a presentation event on Thursday, January 26, from 6:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on the Triolet campus in Montpellier, during which Marie-Morgane and Anaëlle will discuss the challenges facing the Conference of the Parties (COPs) on biodiversity, as well as the decisions made at COP15 in Montreal. They will also introduce the Global Youth Biodiversity Network to raise awareness among young people about student engagement in biodiversity. A discussion will then follow between Marie-Morgane, Anaëlle, and the audience.
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