Two young Indonesians to represent country in UNESCO global programme

Two young Indonesian talents, Salsabilla Nur Feranti and Veldesen Yaputra, have been selected to represent the country in the global programme ‘Capture the Future: Global Youth Storytelling Initiative for People and Nature’, organised by UNESCO through its Man and the Biosphere (MAB) Programme. Registration for the global programme was open from 5 March to 31 May 2026, with a panel of MAB Programme experts finalising the selection of outstanding youth representatives from around the world at UNESCO Headquarters on 29 July 2026. Indonesian Ambassador to UNESCO Mohamad Oemar welcomed the achievement as proof of the significant contribution of Indonesia’s young generation to the global agenda. ‘Indonesia possesses one of the world’s greatest riches in biodiversity and culture. The success of Salsabilla and Veldesen shows that Indonesia’s young generation can translate this through creativity, science, and storytelling so that it can speak to the global community,’ Oemar said in a statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Paris on Thursday. Salsabilla Nur Feranti, a researcher at the Lokahita Foundation with a background in Forestry Engineering and Biomanagement from ITB, presented a photo series titled ‘Shared Ground’, taken in the Serengeti–Ngorongoro Biosphere Reserve in Tanzania. The work depicts the life of the Maasai people living in harmony with nature and wildlife. ‘I want to invite people to see sustainability as life knowledge passed down from generation to generation,’ Salsabilla said. Meanwhile, Veldesen Yaputra, a master’s student in architecture at Tsinghua University from Pontianak, presented a work titled ‘From an Old House to New Hope: Youth and Villagers Reviving Mawei Embroidery’. His project documents the revitalisation of a traditional wooden house of the Shui people in Libo, Guizhou, China. Veldesen is also currently applying a green architecture approach based on local knowledge in Tenganan Village, Bali, in collaboration with Udayana University. ‘For me, conservation is not just about preserving the past, but using the knowledge we have to help that heritage continue to evolve for future generations,’ Veldesen said. As a follow-up, the two Indonesian representatives will attend the UNESCO x vivo Co-Creation Camp in the Apennine Tuscan-Emilian Biosphere Reserve, Italy, from 31 August to 6 September 2026. There, they will join participants from various countries to strengthen storytelling skills and build international networks.