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CEDAR

CYMG Conference on the Environmental Dimensions of Antimicrobial Resistance

On 26 and 27 September 2026, young people from around the world met online for CEDAR — 270 joined the public Day 1 webinar, and 24 youth from 15 countries took part in the Day 2 action labs.

26–27 September 2026Virtual

Watch the recording Youth Action Showcase

Organised by CYMGSupported by UNEP

The conference has concluded. The recording, programme and youth posters are below.

About the 2026 conference

Unpacking the environmental dimensions of AMR

Organized by the Children and Youth Major Group (CYMG) with support from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), CEDAR was a two-day virtual gathering held on 26–27 September 2026 to unpack the environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), build the capacity of youth, and explore practical pathways for advancing youth-led action on the environmental dimensions.

CEDAR was designed as a starting point for a longer-term process to engage young people in supporting the implementation of UNEA Resolution 7/11: Environmental dimensions of antimicrobial resistance — through awareness raising, dialogue, partnerships, and practical action.

The conference programme connected youth perspectives with government, research, industry and civil society perspectives on environmental AMR. Its objectives included longer-term UNEP–CYMG collaboration.

Day 1 highlights

Youth Action Showcase

Nine youth-led actions and research projects on environmental sustainability and community resilience were presented in three clusters. Each presenter's poster is published below as an A4 PDF.

Seeing environmental AMR

Evidence, surveillance and research.

Kenya

Seeing environmental AMR

Ekaale Epakan

Youth-Led AMR Surveillance and Water Point Protection in Ateker Pastoralist Borderlands

View posterPDF · 831 KB

Nigeria

Seeing environmental AMR

Emmanuel Oyelayo

Mapping AMR Risk Hotspots, Mobilising Youth: A One Health Approach

View posterPDF · 230 KB

Iraq

Seeing environmental AMR

Dina Qais Hussein

ResiSense AI: Geospatial ML and Bio-Surveillance for Environmental AMR Hotspot Mapping

Slides will be published here once shared by the presenter.

Slides to be published

Myanmar

Seeing environmental AMR

Gone Yi Thaw Maung

Tracing Microplastics as Hidden Vectors of Environmental AMR

View posterPDF · 776 KB

Stopping AMR pathways

Waste and pollution action.

Kenya

Stopping AMR pathways

Emmanuel Kiyaka

Green Interventions for Sustainable Towns (GIST) Kenya: healthcare waste (SHARPS)

View posterPDF · 4.3 MB · 7 pages

Mauritania

Stopping AMR pathways

Salif Oumar Ngaide

APAS: Stopping AMR Pathways through Waste and Pollution Action

View posterPDF · 825 KB

Cameroon

Stopping AMR pathways

Dodo Gaston

AJEDPROS Environment and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR)

Slides are in French, with English on the content slide.

View posterPDF · 2.0 MB · 3 pages

From awareness to environmental action

Community engagement and behaviour change.

Kenya

Awareness to action

Edwin Odira Okinyi

From Awareness to Environmental Action: community trust as the infrastructure for AMR response

View posterPDF · 2.7 MB · 6 pages

Nigeria

Awareness to action

Mardiyya Mustapha Khalid

Kaduna Medical Students Tackling AMR

View posterPDF · 1.6 MB · 3 pages

All posters use the CYMG A4 template in landscape format. Dina Qais Hussein (Iraq) presented ResiSense AI in the showcase; her slides will be added to this page once shared.

Archived call terms of reference

What happened

CEDAR in numbers

On 26 and 27 September 2026, young people from around the world met online for CEDAR, organised together by the CYMG Environmental Health Working Group and UNEP.

270

participants joined the public Day 1 webinar, from 565 registrations

young people from 15 countries took part in the Day 2 action labs

94.5%

of Day 1 respondents (184 responses) rated the day good or excellent

96%

of Day 2 respondents (24 responses) rated the day good or excellent

Learning gains across Day 2

Before the day started, compared with the closing evaluation.

Able to explain environmental AMR: 10.5%37.5%
Confident applying the concept to real situations: 73.7%91.7%
Planning their own World AMR Awareness Week activity: 10.5%20.8%

Day 2 participants came from 15 countries

Indonesia
Nigeria
Kenya
Tanzania
Peru
Cameroon
China
The Philippines
Myanmar
Yemen
Pakistan
India
Nepal
Algeria
Egypt

Around 49 youth were selected for Day 2, and 24 participants from 15 countries attended the action labs.

Why CEDAR

Objectives

Six goals guided the two-day programme, from awareness raising to concrete plans for youth action.

Increase awareness of the environmental dimensions of AMR among youth.

Discuss the significance of environmental action as an essential component of the One Health response to antimicrobial resistance.

Create dialogue between youth, governments, researchers, industry, and civil society.

Showcase youth-led initiatives in tackling environmental AMR.

Explore opportunities for youth participation in the UNEA Resolution 7/11 implementation.

Generate ideas for youth contributions to World AMR Awareness Week (WAAW) 2026 and beyond.

Conference format

Two days, two formats

Day 1 was an open webinar; Day 2 was a youth upskilling workshop for selected applicants.

Day 1 · 26 September

Public interactive webinar

The public programme included expert conversations, a youth action showcase, live polls, and a fireside conversation on what environmental action against AMR looks like in practice — and where youth can enter.

Day 2 · 27 September

Youth upskilling workshop

A hands-on day for selected youth applicants: an advocacy masterclass, fireside lessons from environmental agreements, and parallel action labs on WAAW 2026 and UNEA Resolution 7/11 implementation.

Day 2 participation was limited to selected applicants. Applications for this event are closed.

Programme hours: 12:00–16:00 UTCInteractive features throughout: live polls, action labs, networking

Programme features

Live polls and audience interaction
Interactive expert conversations
Youth action showcase
Fireside conversation
Small-group discussions and action labs
Networking opportunities

Programme

Recording and programme

CEDAR took place online on 26–27 September 2026. Watch the recording shared by the organisers, or revisit the full two-day programme with all speakers below.

Conference recording · Hosted on YouTube

Watch on YouTube

Jump to a topic

Choose a topic, then press play. These chapter starts were checked against auto-generated captions. This upload includes Day 1 and the Day 2 conversation, not the full workshop.

View the two-day programme

Day 1 · 26 September

Understanding the Challenge and Learning from Action

12:00–16:00 UTC

12:00–12:10

Opening

Welcome and introduction

Welcome and introduction of CEDAR and CYMG.

Fithriyyah Iskandar — Co-Thematic Focal Point, CYMG Environmental Health Working Group

12:10–12:30

Spotlight: Understanding the Environmental Dimensions of AMR

Introductory presentation

A short introductory presentation giving participants a shared understanding of the environmental dimensions of AMR, its four main sources and pathways, and the global policy response.

Pablo Sagredo Martín — Environmental AMR and One Health Specialist, UN Environment Programme

12:30–13:30

What Does Resolution 7/11 Mean in Practice?

Panel discussion

A panel on what implementing UNEA Resolution 7/11 means in practice, from the perspectives of governments and different Major Groups and Stakeholders.

Moderator: Clive Donnley (CYMG Global Focal Point), with Ajay K. Jha (Farmers Major Group), Chinkie Peliño-Golle (Civil Society / NGOs Major Group), Jennifer Hegewisch (Women Major Group), Juergen Derpmann (Business and Industry Major Group), Mark Aoun (West Asia Major Group) and Zuhair Ahmed Kowshik (UNEP)

13:30–14:20

Youth Action Showcase

Lightning presentations

A pitching session highlighting nine youth-led actions and research on environmental sustainability and community resilience, in three clusters.

14:30–15:30

Environmental AMR in Action: Perspectives from Science, Industry, and Policy

Expert panel

An expert panel on how science, policy and different sectors work together on AMR, with insights into global efforts, cross-sector responses and opportunities for youth engagement.

Lisa Avery (Senior Environmental Microbiologist, James Hutton Institute), Steve Brooks (Advisor, AMR Industry Alliance), Gunilla Eklund (Policy Officer, European Commission DG SANTE)

15:30–15:50

Reflection Session

Interactive poll

An interactive poll for participants to share key takeaways, personal insights and commitments for future AMR action.

Shania Shweta Chand — Member, CYMG Environmental Health Task Force

15:50–16:00

Closing

Summary and preview

A summary of key insights from Day 1 and a brief preview of Day 2.

Hafeez Hamza — Co-Thematic Focal Point, CYMG Environmental Health Working Group

Day 2 · 27 September

From Awareness to Action

12:00–16:00 UTC

12:00–12:10

Opening

Welcome and recap

Welcome, overview of Day 1 highlights and introduction to the Day 2 activities.

Saiarchana Darira — Member, CYMG Environmental Health Task Force

12:10–12:50

From Science to Global Action: Lessons from Environmental Agreements

Fireside conversation

A fireside discussion connecting lessons from environmental advocacy and global agreements, including the Montreal Protocol, to inspire strategic thinking on the environmental dimensions of AMR.

Durwood Zaelke — President, Institute for Governance and Sustainable Development (IGSD); Trina Chiemi — Law Fellow, IGSD

12:50–14:10

AMR Advocacy Masterclass: How Youth Can Make Solutions to AMR

Workshop training

A workshop training youth to advocate for action on AMR using the Quadripartite Antimicrobial Resistance Toolkit for Youth Engagement, developed by FAO, UNEP, WHO and WOAH.

Hafeez Hamza (CYMG Environmental Health Working Group) and Saiarchana Darira (CYMG Environmental Health Task Force)

14:15–15:30

Parallel Action Labs

Breakout rooms: 1) World AMR Awareness Week 2026 2) UNEA Resolution 7/11

A collaborative space to co-develop CYMG's environmental health advocacy on AMR, through strategic discussions on approaches, programmes and innovations.

WAAW 2026: Mila Shopova (UNEP), Hafeez Hamza and Shania Shweta Chand (CYMG). UNEA Resolution 7/11: Thomas Verbaere (UNEP), Fithriyyah Iskandar and Saiarchana Darira (CYMG)

15:30–15:50

Report Back

Group presentations

Group presentations summarising key insights from the action labs, collaborative outcomes and proposed next steps for environmental AMR advocacy.

Ayien Tevivona and Saiarchana Darira — Members, CYMG Environmental Health Task Force

15:50–16:00

Closing

Closing plenary

A summary of key insights from Day 2 and ways forward.

Hafeez Hamza — Co-Thematic Focal Point, CYMG Environmental Health Working Group

Good to know

Frequently asked questions

Participation information from the September 2026 event.

Who was the conference for?

Day 1 was a public interactive webinar, attended by 270 participants. Day 2 was a youth upskilling workshop for selected applicants, with 24 participants from 15 countries. The recording is available in the Programme and recording section below.

Can I still register or apply?

No. Registration, Day 2 applications and Youth Action Showcase submissions closed on 1 September 2026 at 23:59 UTC. The conference took place on 26–27 September 2026.

Where can I watch the recording?

The recording is embedded in the Programme and recording section on this page. You can also use its Watch on YouTube link.

What were the programme dates and times?

The programme ran from 12:00–16:00 UTC on 26 and 27 September 2026. The full agenda with all speakers is retained in the Programme and recording section for reference.

Who can help with participation certificates?

Certificates and evaluation forms were shared with participants after the event. For questions about your certificate, contact the organisers listed below.

Who organised CEDAR?

CEDAR was organised by the Children and Youth Major Group (CYMG) with support from the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).

Who can I contact if I have questions?

For any questions about CEDAR, please reach out to:Fithriyyah Iskandar — fithriyyahiskandar@gmail.comAyaz Khan — ayaztareen65432@gmail.com

Be part of youth action on environmental AMR

Join the Environmental Health Working Group to stay connected to AMR and One Health work at CYMG.

Environmental Health Working Group