Deadline: Regional Youth Workshop on IPBES for Europe and Central Asia | funded
Last updated 30 April 2025
Organized by the German Federal Agency for Nature Conservation (BfN) at its International Academy for Nature Conservation (INA) on the Isle of Vilm (Baltic Sea), with support from the IPBES technical support unit on capacity-building and contributions from some members of the IPBES Fellowship Programme and other resource persons.
Application deadline: 31 May 2025
Workshop dates: 10 November 2025 – 14 November 2025
Join an international group of young colleagues and specialists from IPBES for an insightful and inspiring week: explore how you and your community can engage with IPBES for biodiversity and nature's contributions to people.
The event is generously hosted by the German government on the beautiful Isle of Vilm in the Baltic Sea. You will be welcomed at the guest houses of the International Academy for Nature Conservation (INA).
>> Download the flyer (140 KB)
>> Download the report of the 2023 regional youth workshop
What will the workshop cover?
You can expect the following topics:
- IPBES processes and products.
- Options for youth engagement in IPBES activities.
- Visioning concepts like the Nature Futures Framework.
- Supporting increased understanding and use of the outcomes of the latest IPBES assessment reports:
- The Nexus assessment on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health.
- The Transformative change assessment on the underlying causes of biodiversity loss and the determinants of transformative change and options for achieving the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity.
- The Nexus assessment on the interlinkages among biodiversity, water, food and health.
Who is it for?
25 participants in total will be selected:
- 18 – 30 years of age.
- from Western, Central and Eastern Europe and Central Asia by nationality: see the selection criteria on the official webpage for a list of countries.
- actively engaged in work on biodiversity, ecosystem services and nature conservation — this includes interlinkages with water, food, health and climate change or processes and activities of transformative change.
- representing a youth organisation/network from Europe and Central Asia.
- interested in taking part in and contributing to IPBES processes.
- with very good speaking, reading and writing skills in English.
- demonstrably able to respectfully interact with people from other disciplines and work effectively and efficiently in a multicultural team.
The selection committee will also aim for balance by disciplines, gender, and geography.
What is included?
Each participant will receive:
- support for travel.
- accommodation.
- full board (all meals).
How do I apply?
Please carefully consider the full call. To apply, you will need:
- Data from your CV at hand to fill in the application form.
- A statement of motivation according to the guidelines in the official call.
- A government, organisation, or network to nominate you: with the official nomination form, including a statement of recommendation.
>> Official call linking to the application and nomination forms
Information for YESS members
YESS is an ONet member organisation dedicated to early career professionals and researchers. It is currently represented at ONet by Nita Shashidharan; the contact point for IPBES within YESS is Kiên T. Phạm.
YESS is able to nominate members for this workshop. To apply for nomination by YESS
- reply to the email you have received from the YESS mailing list with a letter (email) expressing your interest in getting nominated: it should include your basic information, residence/work location, field of work, and motivation to attend the workshop if you have not been an active YESS member.
- send a copy of your workshop application to YESS by 15 May 2025: YESS will nominate a limited number of participants; they would like to ensure the quality of each applicant and best support each file.
Nomination by YESS does not guarantee a successful application outcome. If you have any further questions, email the YESS ET team.
Who do I contact with further questions about the workshop?
Ms Jutta Stadler, M.Sc. at the Federal Agendy for Nature Conservation, INA: jutta.stadler[at]bfn.de
Photo by Maren Wilczek on Unsplash: black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) flying along the coast of Nienhagen, Germany by the Baltic Sea.