ased on the island of Boreno, the Malaysian state of Sarawak is hosting the third Rainforest Youth Summit (RAYS) and the 29th Rainforest World Music Festival (RWMF) later this month, bringing together youth leaders, climate advocates and musicians from across the globe to state capital Kuching.
Funded and organized by the Sarawak government and the Sarawak Tourism Board, RAYS takes place from June 24 to 26 at the Raia Hotel & Convention Centre Kuching and is themed “Youth: Many Ways, One Planet”.
“Youth must not be placed at the edge of sustainability conversations but firmly at the center of them,” Sarawak Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts Minister Abdul Karim Rahman Hamzah said in a statement.
The summit will feature at least 17 speakers in a lineup led by Malaysian wildlife biologist Wong Siew Te as well as Sarawak-based chef Achang Libat, fashion designer Allie Jabing and filmmaker Sarah Lois Dorai.
Other notable figures include British climate justice campaigner Tori Tsui, Fijian environmental advocate Dylan Kava, Indonesian environmental activist Melati Wijsen, Kenyan environmental leader Elizabeth Wathuti, Panamanian climate activist Diwigdi Valiente and United States environmental educator Isaias Hernandez.
In addition to holding workshops and plenary discussions, this year’s summit will introduce two new initiatives: The Planet Futures Forum, a climate negotiation simulation in which participants navigate real-world environmental trade-offs, and the RAYS Fellowship Program, a 12-month leadership program for 10 to 15 selected participants aimed at translating summit discussions into community action.
Tourism minister Abdul Karim highlighted that, because the summit takes place amid Sarawak’s vast rainforest and peatland ecosystems, RAYS 2026 participants would be immersed in the environmental issues under discussion.
