Youth Award for the AIPH World Green City Awards 2024

As world leaders gather in Montréal for COP 15, GYBN and partners organised and hosted a Youth Summit to drive momentum and build solidarity towards what will undoubtedly be a critical moment in the history of our planet. At this auspicious event, AIPH and GYBN are proud to have announced the launch of a new Youth Award which is set to be jointly brought to life as part of the 2024 edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards. 

Making the announcement at the Youth Summit on behalf of AIPH, Anthony O’Neill, President of the Canadian Nursery Landscape Association, said “The global youth constituency is central to our collective future. Building greener cities is core to the legacy we hope to leave behind for future generations.”

Tim Briercliffe, Secretary General of AIPH, said “AIPH welcomes this partnership with the GYBN which will firmly unite youth aspirations with the inspiring action cities are taking to shape a greener, healthier, and more sustainable urban future. We are so pleased to be collaborating to ensure that the voice of young people is heard in the 2024 edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards, and we look forward to strengthening our engagement with the youth to inspire a lasting legacy for future editions.”

This new Youth Award will be decided by a new Youth Jury, whose compilation will be led by GYBN, and who will select from the 18 finalists the top entry most likely to inspire the youth and fulfil their needs for a secure, healthy future. The Youth Award will be presented at the 2024 Awards ceremony alongside the Category Winners and is envisaged to be an integral part of each future edition going forward.

The Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN) is an international network of youth organizations and individuals from every global region who have united together with a common goal: preventing the loss of biodiversity and preserving Earth's natural resources. Since 2010, GYBN has served as a platform where young people can participate and collaborate in the decision-making process. GYBN is officially recognized as the international coordination platform for youth participation in the CBD.

As the world’s champion for the power of plants, AIPH leads global thinking on the successful integration of plants and nature- the living green- into the built environment. The AIPH World Green City Awards recognise and celebrate bold and innovative action that harnesses the power of plants and nature to create liveable, inclusive, and resilient cities. The inaugural 2022 edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards, which has recently been concluded, attracted entries from close to 60 top cities, and proved the immense success of this unique flagship initiative- the world’s first global awards where plants and nature are the core focus.

"The loss of nature is one of the greatest challenges of our time. How we act now to halt this loss will determine what future today's youth will enjoy tomorrow. We are proud to be initiating the Youth Award with AIPH in demonstration of how the youth are critical to shaping the global movement for greener cities. It is, after all, these cities which the youth will inherit and continue to transform in the future,” said Swetha Stotra Bhashyam, Global South Focal Point, GYBN.

AIPH and GYBN, and their growing network of partners invite all cities, large and small, to enter the 2024 edition of the AIPH World Green City Awards. In doing so, cities will demonstrate their ambitious commitments to nature by showcasing the action they are taking to protect, conserve, and restore the ecosystems which not only underpin our current livelihoods, but which are also essential in safeguarding a just, clean, and healthy environment within which the youth can live and thrive well into the future.

About

AIPH – the International Association of Horticultural Producers: In addition to leading the interests of the international horticulture industry, AIPH leads global thinking on the successful integration of nature into the built environment. AIPH’s Green City initiative promotes the essential role of plants in creating vibrant urban areas in which people and businesses can thrive. AIPH is also the global approving body for International horticultural Exhibitions which are hosted by cities around the world. Website: www.aiph.org

Green City: The AIPH Green City Initiative promotes awareness of the urgent need for urban greening. With a unique global network and platform, AIPH is able to share valuable knowledge and best practices to advance the realisation of a greener planet.

GYBN- the Global Youth Biodiversity network: As the official group for youth in the negotiations under the CBD, GYBN is committed to bringing the opinions and positions of young people into the political process; empowering young people to take action. Recognized and supported by the CBD Secretariat, GYBN seeks to inspire global youth and future leaders to work for the sustainable use and conservation of biodiversity in order to ensure a healthy global environment and enduring societies.