KUCHING – After two years of bringing together youth voices from across the region, the Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) is entering a new phase focused on nurturing future leaders and turning ideas into action.
Opening today in Kuching, the third edition of the summit has gathered nearly 700 young leaders, Indigenous representatives, scientists, creatives and community advocates from across ASEAN and beyond to explore solutions to climate, conservation and sustainability challenges.
Held under the theme “Youth: Many Ways, One Planet,” RAYS 2026 reflects a growing recognition that environmental challenges can no longer be tackled by governments, scientists or activists alone, but require collaboration across communities, cultures and disciplines.
Since its inception in 2023, the summit has engaged more than 1,700 participants from 37 countries and over 80 organisations. This year, delegates from all 11 ASEAN countries are represented, alongside participants from around the world, including first-time representation from Timor-Leste.
Officiating the opening ceremony, Sarawak Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts and Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Datuk Seri Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah, described RAYS as a meeting point between youth leadership, Indigenous knowledge, science, culture and policy.
“The future cannot be built for youth without youth,” he said, adding that lasting solutions must be shaped through many voices and perspectives.
For Sarawak Tourism Board chief executive officer Dr Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, this year’s summit marks a deliberate move from awareness-building towards leadership development.
“From year one, the discussions were broad. Now we are beginning to funnel those conversations into more focused outcomes,” she said.
A key new initiative is the RAYS Fellowship Programme, which will see 10 to 15 delegates selected for a year-long leadership journey focused on climate governance, community engagement and applied sustainability projects.
The summit is also introducing the Planet Futures Forum, a climate governance simulation where participants will negotiate priorities, navigate trade-offs and develop recommendations for the inaugural RAYS Youth Declaration.
Rather than ending when the summit closes, organisers hope the declaration will become a starting point for future engagement between youth, policymakers and stakeholders.
Sharzede said the programme reflects a broader effort to ensure young people are not merely participants in sustainability discussions but contributors to solutions.
Karim noted that changing attitudes towards conservation takes time, pointing to Sarawak’s own journey from an economy once closely associated with logging to one increasingly focused on renewable energy, conservation, carbon management and sustainable development.
The summit’s message also extends beyond the conference hall. Delegates will attend the opening day of the Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF), highlighting the connection between culture, community and conservation.
While RAYS focuses on developing future environmental leaders, RWMF celebrates the cultures and traditions that have long been intertwined with the rainforest, reinforcing the idea that protecting nature also means preserving heritage and identity.
Despite concerns that rising airfares linked to tensions in the Middle East could affect travel, organisers said ticket sales for this year’s festival remain strong. Looking ahead, Sarawak is already preparing for a grand celebration marking the 30th anniversary of the Rainforest World Music Festival next year.
For now, however, the spotlight remains on the hundreds of young delegates gathered in Kuching, and on ensuring that the conversations started at RAYS continue to grow into leadership, collaboration and action long after the summit ends. – June 24, 2026