There is an urgent need for building back better in  forest dependent communities , especially in developing nations, where they are suffering from the impacts of climate change, land degradation , biodiversity loss and overexploitation of natural resources. The impact on young people and women in these communities is more severe. The pandemic has further exacerbated these inequalities and the road to building back better must focus on building resilience in these communities and stakeholders. We must adopt nature based solutions that take into account local challenges to facilitate the creation of local circular bio-economies, thereby catalyzing the levers of change in the form of human rights and empowering women and youth . This panel discussion will bring together subject matter experts, eminent UN officials, grassroots civil society actors who work amongst these impacted communities. This discussion will cover Action Tracks 4 and 5.