World Youth Parliament for Water recap

Young water leaders from around the world came together to mobilize for action in Brasilia during the World Water Forum.

The World Youth Parliament for Water’s 4th General Assembly was the culmination of over a year of planning and organization for this global youth-led network, supported by the ISW. The participants came from over twenty countries and all six continents.

The Parliament was covered by Lauren Anderson of the IISD and by our young journalists.

Highlights

March 17 – Day 1

  • Arrival and welcome
  • Exchange of mugs
  • Arts and crafts workshop: today’s water problems and what you can do about them
  • Negotiating political solutions: with Pio Wennubst (SDC)

March 18 – Day 2

  • Communication workshop: The Power of Storytelling (with Tom Llewellin and Alexandre Edelmann)
  • Blue Peace kickoff talk at the Swiss Pavilion, featuring WYPW participant Joyce Najm Mendes
  • Cultural Night

March 19 – Day 3

  • Blue Peace: From Recommendations to Action
  • Steph Woodworth’s intervention at the High-Level Panel for Water and Peace
  • Youth Parliaments for Water at the French pavilion: featuring WYPW participations and European Youth Parliament for Water president Viktor Macé

March 20 – Day 4

  • Participants visited the Santuário dos Pajés indigenous community outside of Brasilia
  • Committees worked to finalize the messages of the General Assembly
  • Evening at the Embassy of Switzerland
  • Bota Sharipova (Asia rep) appears on World Water Forum panel

March 21 – Day 5

  • Panel appearances from Central Asian youth at transboundary cooperation session (see article)
  • South American representatives advocate for youth at water youth network session
  • Blue Peace Talk: Entrepreneurship for Sustaining Peace
  • Pippi van Ommen and Lindsey Aldaco-Manner present at Senegal pavilion: Towards Dakar 2021
  • Election Night: new presidency and regional reps voted on by participants (see article)

March 22 – Day 6 World Water Day

  • Youth for Water and Climate platform launch, featuring projects from Mukti Akter, Marly Julajuj Coj, Jelena Krstajic (see main article)
  • Blue Peace Talk: Youth as Actors of Change
  • Signing of agreement to establish the Youth for Water and Peace initiative with the Geneva Water Hub

 

We wish to extend our sincerest thanks to our partners for making this general assembly possible. Special thanks to the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation, and Presence Switzerland.

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