The dialogue was self-organised by local youth with support from CYMG, UNDP Botswana, and Gamodubu Civil Society. It combined capacity building, thematic consultations, and a drafting workshop.
Event recap
The dialogue was self-organised by local youth with support from CYMG, UNDP Botswana, and Gamodubu Civil Society. It combined capacity building, thematic consultations, and a drafting workshop, then culminated in the Botswana Youth Declaration and Action Framework.
Date
August 26, 2026
Location
Botswana
Attendees
100
Organizers
CYMG, UNDP Botswana, Gamodubu Civil Society
Status
Past edition
Youth declaration
The outcomes of YEDx Botswana — translated into a national youth declaration and a results-based action framework for implementation.
70–80%
of Botswana's land affected by desertification and land degradation
150,000+ tonnes
of waste generated annually by urban centres including Gaborone
over 60%
of the national population are young people
25%+
youth unemployment, per the 2023 Labour Force Survey
36,000 ha
of forest cover lost annually
130+
community trusts supported through CBNRM programmes
under 1,000 m³
renewable water available per capita per year — Botswana is water-scarce
over 70%
of electricity generation is coal-dependent
35–40%
of the population lives in rural areas, highly dependent on natural resources
The calls to action young people made in their declaration, in order.
National framework for sustainable sports: mandatory environmental standards across sporting codes, green certification for events, and athletes as sustainability stewards.
Circular economy principles in mining, mandatory site rehabilitation, youth in mining governance, innovation funds for green mining solutions, and transparent mineral extraction.
A National Multilateral Coordination Committee with focal points per agreement, a centralised MEA tracking database, and intentional inclusion of youth in commemoration.
Institutionalise youth participation at all governance levels, integrate locally relevant environmental education into curricula, and incentivise green economy engagement.
Community-Based Fire Management Associations (CBFiMAs), indigenous knowledge integrated with science, early warning systems, and inter-agency coordination.
Coordinated waste and chemical policy, mandatory separation-at-source, Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) with a national PRO, and participation in global science-policy platforms.
A national AI environmental policy, youth capacity building in AI and environmental data science, and AI for climate monitoring, biodiversity, and land-use planning.
Multi-sectoral AMR Environmental Task Force, environmental surveillance of AMR in water, soil and waste, a strengthened One Health approach, and reporting to future UNEA sessions.
“Botswana's youth are not merely participants but leaders in advancing a sustainable, inclusive, resilient future — scaling up evidence-based, locally driven environmental solutions.”
Photo gallery
20 photos
Photos by YEDx Botswana participants · Tshepo Phokoje / VIXEN PHOTOS