In 2019 the Nordic Council (Nordic parliaments) and the Nordic Council of Ministers (representing Nordic governments) of Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, the Faroe Islands, Greenland and Aaland (hereinafter referred to as the Nordic region) decided on a joint initiative aimed at giving young people in Nordic countries the possibility of influencing the development of the Global Biodiversity Framework, thereby creating ownership of, engagement in, and trust in the political processes.

New goals for protecting the biodiversity and natural resources of our planet must address the opportunities and living conditions of young people both today and in the future. Young people today are those who must develop the solutions of the future and handle the challenges that previous generations have inflicted on them.

The paper presents a summary of a Nordic initiative to engage Nordic youth in development and negotiations of the Global Biodiversity Framework, which was adopted in Montreal December 2022, together with an outline of the guiding principles for Nordic youth engagement to avoid tokenism, and lessons learnt.