From 20 to 26 September, 45 young people from more than 15 countries representing 10 European transboundary river basins gathered in Strasbourg and the Upper Rhine for the 17th edition of the European Youth Parliament for Water (EYPW), an initiative led by Solidarity Water Europe – International Secretariat for Water since 1998.
An edition placed under the sign of a clear ambition: to make young people a full stakeholder in the governance of river basins.
Gathered around the theme “Uniting beyond borders, sectors and generations for inclusive river basin governance“, the young people worked for a week alongside institutions, water actors, experts and civil society organizations.
Organised jointly with the European Collectivity of Alsace (CeA), this 17th edition marks an important evolution of the EYPW: young people are no longer only invited to dialogue on water issues; they are beginning to find their place in the spaces where decisions on water governance are made.
Putting young people at the heart of river basin governance
For the first time, the 45 participants, from more than 15 countries, were organised into 10 cross-border delegations, each representing a river basin, rather than national delegations.
This choice reflects a strong conviction: water issues do not stop at administrative borders, nor should the participation of young people be organised solely along these borders.
By bringing young people together around hydrographic territories and common realities, the EYPW has made it possible to bring out particularly coherent groups, capable of dialoguing with institutions based on the issues specific to their basins.
From the very first exchanges, this organisation has shown its effects: rich debates, targeted interventions, complementarity of experiences and a strong capacity to build common proposals.
At the opening, speakers recalled that young people must play a role in the decisions that shape the future of water. Thomas Baja, MEP and rapporteur of the European Water Resilience Strategy, stressed that “water runs through all the challenges Europe faces, and young people are the first to be affected by the decisions we make today. Water is our future.“
A week to understand, meet and act in the basins
The varied and intense programme alternated between training, brainstorming workshops, role-playing, networking sessions and discovery of the territory. The young people met many actors of the Upper Rhine: the Regierungsprâsidium Freiburg, the CeA, the SDG Sûd, Eucor – The European Campus, the UNESCO Chair “Rivers and Heritage“, EDF Hydro Est, APRONA and the Ermès-ii-rhine project.
The former President and Vice-President of the 16th EYPW, Magdalena Zivanovic and Lisa Oppermann, also shared their experience, and young people from the Scheldt, Sava and Danube presented various approaches specific to their basins.
Four field visits provided an opportunity to see the Upper Rhine projects in the field: a Rhine flood retention basin, the 4th generation wastewater treatment plant in Basel, the raising of the Lauch Lake dam and the Schluchsee cavern hydroelectric power plant.
The delegates also made their voices heard at the Assises rhénanes de l’Eau (Upper Rhine Conference), organised for the fourth time by the European Collectivity of Alsace.
Finally, after a presentation on water and peace issues, particularly in the contexts of the Sahel and West Africa, by Quentin Parent of the Geneva Water Hub, the young representatives experimented with negotiation between upstream and downstream actors through two simulation games.
From participation to action
At the end of the week, participants presented a common commitment to a sustainable future, structured around five pillars:
- A meaningful action led by young people
- Environmental protection, climate change, nature restoration and resilience
- Transboundary water governance
- Awareness
- Education and skills development
A 2026-2028 roadmap accompanies this commitment, with major joint initiatives and actions specific to each basin:
- An art exhibition on water resources
- The development of a serious game
- Plastic clean-up and recycling projects in rivers
- The creation of a Youth Parliament for the Rhine
The delegates also elected the new EYPW Board, which will accompany the network for two years: Clara Vadez from the Rhine delegation (chair), Roko Saric from the Save delegation (vice-chair), and Noémie Guigue, from the Rhone delegation (second vice-chair).
When institutions open their governance spaces to young people
One of the most important results of this 17th edition lies in the commitments made by the institutional partners themselves.
At the closing ceremony at the Palais du Rhin, several actors announced the desire to make a lasting change in the participation of young people in their work:
- A Rhine Youth Parliament on the move: the momentum is now on, with a concrete basis to give continuity to the participation of young people in the basin. The European Collectivity of Alsace (CeA), through its president Frédéric Bierry and its elected delegate for water, Chantal Jeanpert, has committed to supporting the EYPW during the two years of its mandate and to accompanying the creation of a Youth Parliament for the Rhine. Chantal Jeanpert addressed the delegates: “You are the future, and your commitment is essential to overcome the decisions of the past and protect our common water resources.“
- Young people in the governance of basin commissions: The International Commission for the Protection of the Rhine (ICPR) has announced its decision to include EYPW members in its governance as observers. This is the transition from discourse to structured participation.
- Young people involved in the future of the Upper Rhine: At the Upper Rhine Water Conference, the institutions, including the canton of Aargau, themselves proposed that the young people of the EYPW be included in the working groups on the future of the Upper Rhine.
- The Rhine Council, through its President Matthias Ackermann, has committed to integrating the commitments of the delegates into its work.
- The board of the 16th EYPW will accompany the new board to ensure a good handover on ongoing projects and partnerships and the launch of new projects.
- Solidarity Water Europe (SWE), through its president Antonella Cagnolati, has committed to supporting and accompanying the implementation of the actions.
- The International Network of Basin Organizations (INBO) and the Geneva Water Hub have expressed their willingness to explore new forms of partnerships.
A new generation of basin stakeholders
These commitments show an important evolution: to build the water governance of tomorrow, it is no longer enough to consult young people. They must be allowed to participate, to propose and gradually to take part in the spaces where decisions are made.
The 17th EYPW has thus made a structuring choice: to put young people at the heart of the basins, rather than on the margins of the institutions that govern them.
By working by river basins, connecting young people from different countries, sectors and generations and creating direct links with institutions, this edition laid the foundations for a more sustainable participation of young people in water governance.
Since the first edition in 1998, Solidarity Water Europe has been supporting several generations of young people committed to water. With this 17th edition, a new step has been taken: to make young people actors in hydrographic territories, to connect generations and borders, and to gradually open up decision-making places to new generations.
The next two years will be devoted to transforming this dynamic into concrete actions, in the Rhine as well as in the other basins represented within the network.
Because river basins are our common future, their governance must also be that of the generations that will live the consequences.
