At the UN General Assembly in New York on 25 September 2025, the Wyss Academy for Nature joined Goodwall, JA Worldwide, Generation Unlimited (UNICEF), and WISE-Qatar Foundation to host a leadership roundtable on youth led entrepreneurship for climate resilience. The event brought together leaders from the public, private and philanthropic sectors to explore how youth entrepreneurship can drive inclusive growth while addressing climate and biodiversity challenges.  

Tatjana von Steiger drew on lessons from the Changemakers Program, piloted with Goodwall and partners in 2023. She pointed to the overwhelming interest in the program as evidence that young people are eager to shape sustainable futures. Yet she stressed that opportunities must go beyond job creation: Youth-led ventures rooted in nature and backed by science have the power to strengthen livelihoods and support ecosystem health.  

Thanks to the program’s design – grounded in the landscapes where the Wyss Academy works – young participants gain practical skills. In Madagascar, for example, these are used to design business models to sustain information centers in the buffer zone of the Masoala national park.  

For the Wyss Academy for Nature, the roundtable was a space to bring its perspective into global debates: that youth innovation cannot succeed in isolation. It needs clear pathways – from skills to finance to markets – and partnerships that connect public, private, and local actors. Building such connections is not only about creating opportunities for young people but about shaping more resilient futures for nature and people alike.