ISZL Students Attend 2026 Villars Summit

Written by ISZL Student Michael D.

On 18th March, a group of ISZL High School students travelled to Villars-sur-Ollon, Switzerland, for the 2026 Villars Summit hosted by the Villars Institute. Founded in 2022 by Lee Howell, former Managing Director of the World Economic Forum, the Institute has dedicated itself into supporting the transition to a “net-zero, nature-positive economy and restoring the health of the planet.”

As Villars Fellows, the students had the unique opportunity to participate as rapporteurs for panel discussions held at the Villars Palace. After the event, the fellows are responsible for publishing articles on various sessions, providing key insights on and their own opinions to the discussions. The Villars Summit brought together global changemakers, professors, business executives, industry experts, scientists, and a select group of youth to facilitate productive discussions on the challenges of and potential solutions to sustainability, biodiversity loss, and climate change.

Among 21 other rapporteurs, Michael D. (Grade 12, Fellow, Cohort of 2024), Miglia G. (Grade 11, Fellow, Cohort of 2024), and Maurits W. (Grade 11, Fellow, Cohort of 2025) were selected as official rapporteurs, tasked with publishing articles on sessions such as Redirecting Private Capital, Accelerating Conservation at Scale, and The Hidden Threat of Invasive Species. (You can find the final pieces in the Villars Reviews, so stay tuned!)

Michael D
“Having attended the Villars Summit last year, I’ve had the amazing opportunity to experience the development of the event as a whole within this short time frame. With themes such as sustainability in business, the linkage between food and climate change, and putting nature on the balance sheet, the Summit convenes various actors necessary for systematic change to occur. This time around, the message of moving from sustainability as a title or group to a shared value was crystal clear in any society that aims to move towards net-zero and nature-positive. Naturally, this dynamic creates the perfect space for critical, open discussion to flow – and that’s what I love about the institute.”

Miglia G
In my 3 years at Villars as a Fellow, I’ve only had the privilege of visiting the Villars Palace meetings once, for the Symposium back in 2024. When I was given the opportunity to return for the Summit 2026, I knew I had to apply. My expectations were high for this trip because, compared to the Symposium, where it’s youth interacting with each other, the Summit is about intergenerational collaboration. 21 young Villars Fellows are tasked with the challenge of interacting, bonding, and finding connections with over 300 environmental experts over the course of 3 days. From filmmakers from the BBC Natural History Unit to the Head of the World Economic Forum’s Earth System Agenda.

My hopes for the Summit were to connect and further develop my networking skills with some of the most respected experts in the world, and gain some insight into the wetland conservation project happening at ISZL.

The Summit exceeded my expectations when it came to how encouraged collaboration among experts and fellows actually was. Most conferences like these are a business and promotion hub where young people don’t fit in the picture. The encouragement and dedication not only from us Fellows but also from the staff at the palace were inspiring for students who were excited to learn from the best of the best.

Maurits W
For the past few days, I’ve had the incredible opportunity of visiting the Villar Palace to attend the 26’ Summit. Nervousness, anticipation and uncertainty were all feelings I experienced prior to the summit, but as soon as I arrived, they quickly faded as I was greeted by welcoming staff and familiar faces. Having the chance to meet and talk to like-minded adults was motivating to me, since it shows that there are still people who are willing to take responsibility, collaborate, and actively work towards solving global challenges that we are facing in our day to day lives. In the panel I attended as a rapporteur, the discussion centred on how conservation can be shifted from local efforts to global systems, by improving measurement and financial mechanisms.