TIHSA at the World Bank Land Conference: What It Means to Be Taken Seriously

In early 2025, I submitted an application on behalf of TIHSA to attend the World Bank Land Conference in Washington, D.C. — one of the premier international forums on land rights, food security, and sustainable agriculture. The application was accepted. TIHSA was recognized as a qualified NGO participant.

Then I asked a practical question: since I am under 18, would I need to bring an adult?

The response was gracious. The World Bank team apologized and explained that they had not realized I was a minor when they reviewed the application. Due to liability considerations around in-person attendance for minors, they asked me to participate virtually instead.

Accepted on Merit

I want to be clear about what this means. The World Bank did not rescind TIHSA's invitation because the organization's work wasn't serious enough. They accepted the application entirely on merit — on the strength of TIHSA's mission, its reach across Texas, and its research and advocacy around sustainable agriculture and indigenous knowledge. The only issue was my age.

That distinction matters. It means TIHSA's work was evaluated by one of the world's leading institutions on sustainable land use and food security — and found worthy of a seat at the table.

Attending Virtually — May 5–8, 2025

I attended the World Bank Land Conference virtually from May 5–8, 2025. The sessions covered land tenure, food systems, climate-resilient agriculture, and the role of indigenous and local communities in sustainable land governance — all topics directly relevant to TIHSA's work in Texas. Missing Washington D.C. in person was disappointing, and yes, we had already purchased flights and booked a hotel. But the learning and the access to those conversations made it worthwhile.

Youth Advocacy on a Global Stage

The World Bank experience was part of a broader pattern of TIHSA engaging with major international platforms. I also participated in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals North America Regional Youth Assembly Food Waste Panel Series in August 2025, attending sessions on food recovery, food loss, and sustainable livestock transformation through the FAO Global Plan of Action.

These experiences have reinforced something I believe deeply: the problems TIHSA is working on — food insecurity, unsustainable agriculture, the marginalization of indigenous ecological knowledge — are not local problems with local solutions. They are global in scope. Connecting TIHSA's grassroots work in Texas to these international conversations is not a distraction from our mission. It is part of it.

Next Time

I will not be a minor forever. The World Bank Land Conference happens annually. TIHSA's work continues to grow. And the next time we apply, there will be no liability issue standing between our mission and the room where the conversation is happening.