Young ocean advocates are essential to advancing ambitious global action. Their leadership is a driving force toward protecting marine biodiversity and achieving the goal of protecting 30% of the ocean by 2030. With this in mind, EarthEcho International is proud to unite a global delegation of youth leaders representing five countries to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity’s 17th Conference of the Parties (CBD COP17) in Yerevan, Armenia, from October 25–31, 2026.

EarthEcho Youth Leaders, Gabriela Casuso Hernández, Jhaylin Cruz, Kendall Ford, Kjeld Werther, Nina Shetty, Surasma Lamichhane, and Vincenzo Valle alongside EarthEcho Chief Program Officer, Stacey Rafalowski, and Director of Youth Engagement, Sean Russell, will represent our team on the ground in Armenia. Together, we will call on governments to accelerate progress toward the global 30x30 goal, strengthen effective ocean protection, and ensure young people have a meaningful role in shaping and implementing global biodiversity commitments.

With the High Seas Treaty now in force and its first Conference of the Parties approaching in January 2027, our delegates will also work alongside partners, policymakers, and fellow youth advocates on shared priorities for meaningful youth engagement, build new collaborations, and accelerate action for ocean protection.

Throughout the week, we are honored to join partners to participate in and host a variety of events focused on advancing the 30x30 ocean goal, implementation of the High Seas Treaty, and the role of intergenerational collaboration advancing global ocean protection. If you are participating in COP17, please consider joining us at the following sessions: 

• October 27, 12:30pm–1:30pm AMT - Building the High Seas Youth Agenda - working session for youth organizations. Contact Sean Russell at srussell@earthecho.org for details. 
• October 27, 5:30pm–7:00pm AMT - High Seas Reception: Countdown to BBNJ COP1: Turning High Seas Treaty Progress into Action at the Ocean Pavilion 
• October 28, 12:00pm–12:45pm AMT - A Blue Call to Action: Data, Communities and Nature-Positive Solutions at the Ocean Pavilion 
• October 29, 9:00am–10:15am AMT - From Priorities to Protection: Youth Leadership for 30x30 and the High Seas at the Ocean Pavilion   
• October 30, 9:00am–10:15am AMT - Leveraging Open Tools and Data in the Push for 30x30 at the Ocean Pavilion 

‍Stay tuned for updates to our event list and follow along throughout the week by checking out EarthEcho on Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn.