Webinar with the International Network of Basin Organizations

The management of freshwater resources, structures, and services require considerable cooperation between a wide range of actors. The implementation of many decisions is only possible if there are a strong commitment and mobilization of all actors involved, public and private, collective or individual.

In partnership with the International Network of Basin Organizations, we organized the webinar ”Basins of rivers, lakes, and aquifers: participation of stakeholders, civil society and young people”, which was held on December 10th.

The online event was a success and very accessible: simultaneously translated into French, English, and Spanish, more than 150 people connected to the Zoom platform.

Bringing together a panel of experts from all spheres of activity in the water sector, the webinar presented an engaging space for a dynamic discussion on the mobilization of stakeholders in the water sector.  You can view the list of panelists here.

The voice of youth was in part represented by Bota Sharipova, who is responsible for the Central Asian chapter of the World Youth Parliament for Water and a collaborator in ISW-SWE. She spoke of the challenges encountered in youth engagement in the water sector in Central Asia, but also the successes, such as the formal engagement of youth in basin councils. However, she noted that there are still several obstacles to youth participation in the region, such as authoritarian regimes, the hierarchical nature of Central Asian societies, and a certain cultural reluctance among youth to actively participate.

Vladimir Arana, the ISW-SWE Program Coordinator for the Americas presented the GOSSA approach that we have successfully implemented in Peru – which we are actively working to adapt for scaling up in Central Asia, where the impact will be at the level of 8500 families. This approach, specific to ISW-SWE, aims to work with local and national authorities and targeted communities to strengthen water governance and resource protection.

The question period was moderated by Laurie Fourneaux, where each of the panelists had the opportunity to intervene and engage in dynamic discussions.

This webinar is part of a series of webinars organized by the International Watershed Network, you can learn more by following their social networks, or by visiting their website.

You can watch the full webinar in the video below.

Thank you to all the participants and speakers who made this event a great success!

The presentations of each participant are available below: