Asia-Pacific Youth Synthesis Report: Our Planet, Our Future

The Ninth session of the Committee on Environment and Development (CED9) of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) convenes at a critical moment for Asia and the Pacific, as the region faces escalating pressures from the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution. While countries across the region have made significant environmental commitments, the primary challenge now lies in translating these commitments into equitable, on-the-ground outcomes. Despite young people increasingly advancing environmental solutions across the region, meaningful youth engagement in environmental governance remains fragmented, with limited progress in embedding youth voices within decision-making and implementation processes. Grounded in youth perspectives across Asia and the Pacific, and informed by an extensive literature review and the Our Planet, Our Future Asia-Pacific Youth Survey (2026), the findings of this report suggest that the greatest barriers to meaningful environmental action lie not only in policy ambition but in persistent gaps in implementation, access, and decision-making power.

Across the region, youth-led initiatives increasingly demonstrate how climate action, biodiversity protection, sustainable urban development, and broader environmental goals can be advanced in an integrated manner. However, these efforts remain insufficiently integrated into formal policy systems, underscoring that youth inclusion must be understood as a long-term investment that strengthens policy continuity, innovation, and resilience. Addressing current challenges requires a fundamental shift in environmental governance: from consultation-based participation to shared ownership, where youth are formally included in the decision-making, design, implementation, financing, and monitoring of environmental policies; from commitments to delivery through stronger implementation and resource mobilisation; and from isolated initiatives to scalable systems that can expand and embed youth-led solutions. Moving from consultation towards co-decision and co-implementation is therefore essential to advancing more inclusive, integrated, and effective pathways for sustainable development in Asia and the Pacific.