Stream the Gala of Hope from here, and visit the photo gallery to celebrate the most successful and inspiring examples of reviving nature.

The Gala celebrated a new group of UN World Restoration Flagships – the world’s most successful examples of healing the planet – as well as the re-launch of the UNEP’s Young Champions of the Earth programme, with a focus on protecting and restoring nature. It connected generations, Member States, and stakeholder groups around a shared and positive vision for planet Earth. The celebration started in the form of a high-level event consisting of a short and entertaining award ceremony segment for the new UN World Restoration Flagships - supported by never-before-seen multimedia footage from the field – and a discussion with former Young Champions of the Earth. From there, it moved into a cocktail and finger food reception for networking. See the full programme here. 

Moderated by Antoinette Taus, speakers included:

• UNEP’s Executive Director Inger Andersen
• FAO’s Deputy Director General Maria Helena Semedo
• UNEP Goodwill Ambassador, Model & Actress Dia Mirza
• UN Decade Funding Partners from Denmark and Germany
• Former Young Champions of the Earth Omar Itani, Sonika Manandhar, Nzambi Matee and Molly Burhans
• Environmental Activist and Climate Influencer Sharon Ringo Mowo

Awardees from seven new World Restoration Flagships, restoring almost 40 million hectares across 20+ countries, including: Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Lebanon, Mali, Nepal, Niger, Morocco, Pakistan, Peru, Rwanda, Senegal, Somalia Sri Lanka, Tanzania, Tunisia, Türkiye, Uganda.

About the UN World Restoration Flagships

Countries have already promised to restore 1 billion hectares – an area larger than China – as part of their commitments to the Paris Climate Agreement, the Aichi targets for biodiversity, the Land Degradation Neutrality targets and the Bonn Challenge. However, little is known about the progress or quality of this restoration. Progress of all seven World Restoration Flagships will be transparently monitored through the Framework for Ecosystem Restoration Monitoring, the UN Decade’s platform for keeping track of global restoration efforts. With the World Restoration Flagships, the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration is honouring the best examples of large-scale and long-term ecosystem restoration in any country or region, embodying the 10 Restoration Principles of the UN Decade. From over 150 submissions, the seven new official UN World Restoration Flagships have now been selected – in line with the seven years left for action under the UN Decade on Ecosystem Restoration.

About Young Champions of the Earth

Young Champions of the Earth aims to celebrate and support individuals aged between 18 and 30 who have outstanding potential to create a positive environmental impact. We look for groundbreaking changemakers, who see opportunity where others see crisis. Seven young people – selected from every global region – are named Young Champions of the Earth each year. These winners receive seed funding, intensive training and tailored mentoring to bring their big environmental ideas to life. We’re looking for artists, scientists, economists, communicators and entrepreneurs from all walks of life who have big, bold ideas – for the environment, for humanity, for a greener future. This event marks the start of the search for Young Champions in 2024.