August 25-30, 2019, GWP had a strong presence at this year’s Stockholm World Water Week (WWW). A large delegation participated in over 30 sessions, and the GWP Strategy for 2020-2025 was launched at a side event. Youth Professionals’ booth – was jointly hosted by GWP and Asian Development Bank (ADB), sharing youth engagement stories and operation model by GWP China, ASEAN, GWPO, ADB youth and water teams, Central Asia Youth for Water Network and Water Youth Network.
12 August marks International Youth Day - the 2019 theme is “transforming education”, highlighting efforts to make education more relevant, equitable and inclusive for all youth. GWP launched its Youth Engagement Strategy in 2015 and has since then been actively pursuing various youth initiatives. Coinciding with International Youth Day, GWP's new Youth Engagement Specialist, Rianna Gonzales, takes up her new position in the GWP secretariat in Stockholm, Sweden. She describes the youth sector as “an explosion of energy and hope."
Journalists from Albania, Greece, Kosovo* and Montenegro attended a 2-day training** event in Lake Ohrid, in North Macedonia, to develop their capacities in environmental and water reporting, and learn about the 200.000 USD Lake Ohrid Pilot Activity under the GEF Drin Project.
Global Water Partnership-Caribbean (GWP-C) has for many years, recognised the critical importance of creating avenues for young people to become involved in water governance and management ventures. Development challenges in the Caribbean will ultimately be inherited by the region’s youth. Young people are providers of solutions and have ideas and energy to act for sustainable development.
Strategic investments and strengthening of multi-stakeholder partnership are key to progressing towards water security, says Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWPSA) Partners.
GWP Mediterranean has been working actively in Jordan for over a decade, assisting the country’s water sector to meet the challenging demands it faces. Much of the work has been centered around sustainable water financing. In the past year, a significant breakthrough was made when a government-led collaboration with the Jordanian banking sector was established.
“This opportunity has opened my eyes…it has taught me to think in a whole new manner about the climate change problem as it relates to Small Island Developing States.” These are the words of 27-year-old Khadija Stewart from Trinidad and Tobago, when asked about her experience as a 2019 Peace Boat Ocean and Climate Change Youth Ambassador.
Rabia Faousia OUEDRAOGO is a young student at the International Institute for Water and Environmental Engineering (2IE), in her third year of a degree in Water and Sanitation, who completed an internship at the GWP-WA Regional Secretariat from January to March 2019. As part of her activities, she carried out a field visit on 01 March 2019, in the village of Ramitenga, a rural commune of Loumbila. She spoke with young people and women from the beneficiary population about their participation in the activities of the micro-drip irrigation demonstration project initiated as part of the WACDEP Programme in Burkina Faso.
In this article, Ms. Ouédraogo draws lessons from her forty-five-day stay at GWP-WA Regional Secretariat and makes recommendations following the field mission.
