Grounded on the principle of Intergenerational Equity, KYBN works to ensure that young people are not passive participants in environmental decision-making, but are actively involved in shaping the policies that determine Kenya’s biodiversity and their collective environmental future.
We engage policymakers, government institutions, researchers, civil society and other stakeholders by bringing youth perspectives, evidence, and lived experiences into local, national, regional and international policy processes. Our work spans biodiversity, marine and coastal conservation, plastics, climate action and the blue economy, including participation in multilateral environmental negotiations and national policy processes. By connecting grassroots realities with decision-making spaces, KYBN seeks to strengthen meaningful youth participation, promote evidence-informed policies, and translate policy commitments into practical action for people and nature.
Our membership consultation approach provides a unique reach that allows us to listen to views, lived experiences, and expertise of thousands of youth each year, and we campaign as a collective to deliver the transformation we want to see most for our environment.
The Network has contributed to the review of Kenya’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), the National Wildlife Strategy 2030, Kenya Forest Service Strategic Plan and other biodiversity policy frameworks, while youth representatives have participated in processes including Conference of Parties (COP) to various conventions including the Convention on Biodiversity (CDB), United Nations Convention on Combating Desertification (UNCCD), United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), United Nations Environment Assembly (UNEA), African Ministerial Conference on Environment (AMCEN), and the Global Plastic Treaty negotiations.
KYBN has also worked to strengthen the formal recognition of youth contribution to the implementation of Kenya’s National Biodiversity Strategy & Action Plan (NBSAP), and is formally embedded in the country’s National Biodiversity Coordination Mechanism. KYBN has hosted and contributed to dialogues on NBSAP implementation and youth participation, including work with Youth4Nature exploring how youth priorities and nature-based solutions can be integrated into national biodiversity planning.
Policy & Advocacy
KYBN amplifies youth voices in biodiversity and environmental policymaking, connecting grassroots perspectives with national, regional, and global decision-making processes to advance inclusive, evidence-based action for nature.
