COP17 Youth Pavilion Side Event Call
- Organization: Global Youth Biodiversity Network (GYBN)
- Type: Conference
- Location: Global
- Deadline: September 20, 2026
- Funding: No Funding
The Global Youth Biodiversity Network is inviting young people to propose the sessions that will fill its space inside the Blue Zone at the UN biodiversity conference in Yerevan, Armenia. Selected organisers get a 30 to 60 minute slot between 19 and 29 October 2026 to run a panel, workshop, roundtable, cultural event or human library on a topic they choose. GYBN supplies the room and the equipment but no funding and no COP accreditation, so you need to be reaching Yerevan and getting into the Blue Zone under your own arrangements. **What you get:** - A 30, 45 or 60 minute slot in the Youth Pavilion inside the COP17 Blue Zone in Yerevan - A room equipped with a screen, HDMI cable and microphones, seating up to 20 people - A place on the Youth Pavilion programme alongside other youth-led sessions - A platform in the venue where delegates and decision makers gather for the biodiversity negotiations **What you'll do:** - Describe your proposed side event in up to 150 words, naming its theme and format - Run it as a presentation, workshop, panel discussion or intergenerational dialogue, cultural event, roundtable or human library - Pick a preferred date plus backup dates, which the GYBN organising team then schedules - Line up your own speakers, keeping gender balance and representation across different regions and cultures - Prepare a safeguarding plan so the session stays a safe space for participants **Key dates:** - Applications close September 20, 2026 at 5:30 PM UTC - Selected side event organisers contacted between September 22 and 28, 2026 - Youth Pavilion runs October 19 to 29, 2026 in Yerevan, Armenia **More information:** - Pavilion hours are 10:30 AM to 5:30 PM Armenia time, with no sessions from 1 to 3 PM or 6 to 8 PM - Applications may be written in English, French, Spanish or Armenian - Hybrid sessions are welcome, but GYBN is still confirming internet in the venue and provides no technical support for them - No catering and no virtual services are available, and interpretation is left to the organisers - GYBN publishes a short guidance note on planning an inclusive side event, linked from the application form - Because of the volume of applications, GYBN contacts only those whose events are selected

