From 17 to 24 November 2019, 85 young people from all over Europe and representing nearly twenty countries gathered in Nizhny Novgorod (Russia) for the 15th session of the European Youth Parliament for Water. Focusing on the theme ” River basin, the backbone of regional development “, this 15th edition was able to highlight areas for reflection and proposals for concrete actions for better cooperation between basin actors, while emphasizing the involvement of youth in these issues.

Nizhny Novgorod, host city of the 15th European Youth Parliament for Water

For the second time in its history, the European Youth Parliament for Water was held in Nizhny Novgorod, the fifth largest city in Russia by population and located at the confluence of two major Russian rivers; the Oka and Volga, itself the largest river in Europe.

 

The City and Region of Nizhny Novgorod hosted several of the parliament’s key events within their walls, including the official opening and closing ceremonies, in the presence of several local authorities, such as the Deputy Mayor of the City of Nizhny, the Oblast Minister of Ecology or the President of Vodokanal, the city’s main drinking water operator.

  At the opening ceremony, participants pledged to respect the values of the Parliament and to disseminate its results once back in their home country.

During the closing ceremony, the participants presented the results of the week’s work and the message conveyed by the collective commitment.

Fostering the emergence of youth-led projects

The European Youth Parliament for Water aims to be a platform for exchanges and work in order to foster the emergence of youth-led projects in the water sector. For this to happen, young leaders need tools and methods that make it easier for them to carry out this type of action. Several capacity building sessions on project management or communication were conducted. The participants were also able to benefit from the insights of professionals, such as Franck Barroso, co-founder Waterpreneurs , or Gergana Majercakova, from the Global Water Partnership Central and eastern Europe.

These workshops resulted in concrete project proposals, two of which were awarded by an evaluation jury: “Know My Tap” to be implemented in Belgium and “Water Tinder” to be implemented in Bulgaria.

Engaging and making Youth voices heard

 During the week, and capitalizing on the results of the various activities, the participants set about writing a collective commitment, formalizing the vision of the young people of the 15th EYPW for better management of water resources and a youth who can act as an agent for change.

The declaration of commitment is intended to be translated into all the languages of the countries represented in the EYPW, in order to be disseminated as widely as possible.

Download the Collective commitment

To consult the different translations, click here.

Electing new representatives

Parliament has set up a new board to represent it until the next session and to carry the message of commitment.

The new team consists of:

• President: Hasmik Barseghyan, representative of Armenia, elected President of the 15th EYPW
• Vice -President: Stas Peters, representative of the Netherlands and member of the Scheldt Youth Parliament,
• Vice-President: David Lindao Caizaguano, from Ecuador and representing Belgium

The SEE wishes to thank its local partner, the movement “Let’s help the river” of the Ecocenter DRONT of Nizhny Novgorod as well as the authories of the City and the region of Nizhny Novgorod for hosting this event.

Photos

MANY THANKS TO OUR PARTNERS !