KUCHING, 9 JULY 2026: The Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) 2026 has advanced youth voices in climate and sustainability through the inaugural Planet Futures Forum. This youth-led platform culminated in the endorsement of the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration 2026.
RAYS 2026, the third edition of the Rainforest Youth Summit, was organised by the State Government of Sarawak and Sarawak Tourism Board (STB), endorsed by the Ministry of Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Sarawak (MTCP), and supported by the Ministry of Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development Sarawak (MYSED).
Held in Kuching from 24 to 26 June 2026, the summit convened delegates, speakers and partners from across ASEAN and beyond.
Hosted in Sarawak, one of the world’s most ecologically significant rainforest regions, RAYS situates climate and sustainability dialogue within the realities of living landscapes, communities and cultures.
Held under the summit theme, Youth: Many Ways, One Planet, the forum created a space for young people to move beyond discussion and contribute to shared priorities in climate action, sustainability, governance, and collective responsibility.
As the first initiative of its kind at RAYS, the Planet Futures Forum was introduced not as a standalone summit activity, but as the foundation for a continuing youth-led platform that carries discussions, priorities and recommendations beyond the summit.
Guided by the principle of Two-Eyed Seeing, the forum brought together indigenous wisdom alongside Western knowledge systems and practices, recognising that meaningful and lasting solutions require diverse perspectives, lived experiences and ways of knowing.
The discussions were organised around three key thematic areas:
• Ways of Knowing
• Living with the Earth
• Power & Responsibility
Supported by the Sunway Centre for Planetary Health as Knowledge Partners, delegates developed and refined recommendations that were relevant, evidence-informed and grounded in the realities faced by communities and young people today.
The forum resulted in the selection of nine priority recommendations across the three thematic areas. These recommendations were subsequently presented during the Declaration Congress, where delegates endorsed the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration 2026.
The endorsement marked a significant outcome of RAYS 2026, reflecting a shared commitment among delegates to carry forward youth priorities into future conversations on climate, sustainability and community action.
Throughout the forum, delegates were supported by Knowledge Holders and Allies, including YB Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu, Deputy Minister for Youth, Sports and Entrepreneur Development, Sarawak; Dr Sharzede Datu Haji Salleh Askor, Chief Executive Officer of Sarawak Tourism Board; as well as RAYS speakers including Diwigdi Valiente, Dr Dzaeman Dzulkifli and others who contributed perspectives from governance, conservation, indigenous leadership and environmental practice.
Closing the session, YB Datuk Gerald Rentap Jabu underscored that the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration represents the beginning of a longer journey. He encouraged delegates to continue strengthening the document through consultation, dialogue, and collective ownership, with the aspiration that it would inform future action and decision-making.
The Planet Futures Forum is intended to continue beyond RAYS 2026. Following the summit, the Preliminary RAYS Youth Declaration will undergo further consultation through a region-wide survey, giving young people beyond the RAYS community the opportunity to share their perspectives and strengthen the recommendations.
The feedback gathered will contribute towards the development and publication of the Final RAYS Youth Declaration. This will ensure that the priorities identified during the forum continue to evolve through wider youth participation, dialogue and collective ownership.
In this way, the Planet Futures Forum establishes a longer-term pathway for youth voices to inform future dialogue and meaningful action. It reflects the belief that a more sustainable future cannot be shaped by one generation, sector or knowledge system alone, but through many voices, many ways of knowing and one shared Planet.
(Source: Your Stories — Sarawak Tourism Board)
