The Movement

The Global Youth Movement for Water (GYMW) is a global coalition of youth organizations, professional networks, institutional partners and regional youth platforms working together to strengthen youth engagement in water governance and action. It brings together more than 370 youth-led organizations and allies to influence decision-makers, increase youth’s negotiating power and encourage action around the globe. 

The Movement provides visibility, credibility, and recognition to both existing and emerging youth organizations and networks. The International Secretariat for Water (ISW) serves as the secretariat of the Movement, supporting its coordination and helping advance its global impact in collaboration with key partners. Guided by an intergenerational approach, the Movement brings together organizations that truly believe that youth are agents of change.

We commit to strengthening collaboration, coordination and peer-to-peer learning amongst youth organisations in the water space and to amplifying our actions, outreach and impact through a united voice for the implementation of SDG6.

#watergeneration #youth4water #thirstyforchange #FillUpTheGlass

The evolution of the Movement

The Global Youth Movement for Water has progressively grown into a coordinated international coalition. Key milestones have helped structure the movement and strengthen its role in global water governance.

2012 - 2022 — Decade leading to the Launch of the Movement 

In 2012, at the 6th World Water Forum in Marseille, youth mobilization was organized for the first time in a more structured way. It was at this event that key global networks in the water and sanitation sector were initiated. Over the last decade, youth water actors have multiplied, at all levels, giving more and more volume to youth water engagement. However, youth advocacy, engagement groups and network associations in the water sector have too often been fragmented, diminishing the collective voice and influence of young people. 

At the 9th World Water Forum in Dakar in 2022, youth organizations and partners formally launched the Global Youth Movement for Water, through the first Youth Space held on the conference site. This moment marked an important turning point in coordinating efforts to connect youth initiatives worldwide and collectively advocate for stronger youth engagement in water governance. 

2023 —  #FillUpTheGlass campaign at the 2023 UN Water Conference

The 2023 United Nations Water Conference marked the first water-related UN intergovernmental conference since 1977. For the first time in 46 years, water returned to the center of the global multilateral agenda as world leaders gathered to commit to the most important and pressing water-related issues. 

In this context, it was more important than ever for youth to come together in a coordinated and unified way, ensuring that young voices collectively advocate for the implementation of SDG 6.

Through the Global Youth Movement for Water, thousands of youth networks from around the world mobilized around the “Fill Up the Glass” campaign, a global advocacy initiative calling for stronger commitments to youth inclusion in water governance. The campaign helped increase the international visibility of youth-led initiatives, gather youth priorities into five key demands, and further strengthen collaboration among youth organizations in the water sector.

2024 — Bali Youth Targets at the 10th World Water Forum 

At the 10th World Water Forum in Bali, the Global Youth Movement for Water played an active role in shaping discussions across the Forum’s three main Processes :  Thematic, Regional, and Political.

A key outcome of this mobilisation was the development of the Bali Youth Targets, building on the Bali Youth Plan supported by 27 youth organizations representing thousands of young people globally. These targets highlighted priority actions to strengthen youth inclusion in water governance, expand education and professional opportunities in the water sector, support youth leadership and entrepreneurship, and promote the peaceful and equitable use of water resources. The Bali Youth Targets were presented during the Forum’s final synthesis session and featured among the official highlights of the Forum.

The Forum also hosted a dedicated Youth Space, which served as a hub for youth-led innovation, dialogue, and networking. Through workshops, presentations, and collaborative sessions, young leaders shared solutions, contributed to discussions, and strengthened partnerships across generations.

Building on this momentum, youth delegates issued a call to action emphasizing the importance of institutionalizing meaningful youth engagement, strengthening water literacy, and promoting integrated and inclusive water governance in the lead-up to future global water processes.

Read more : Empowering the Next Generation: Youth Leadership at the 10th World Water Forum By Youth Delegates, World Water Council

2025 — Water Youth Strategy at the UNESCO Water Youth Dialogue

In June 2025, UNESCO hosted the first Water Youth Dialogue at its headquarters in Paris, bringing together 60 young leaders from 40 youth-led water organizations. Co-organized with the Global Youth Movement for Water, the Dialogue created a platform for youth to exchange ideas, showcase solutions, and engage directly with experts and institutional stakeholders.

A key outcome of the Dialogue was the co-drafting of the Water Youth Strategy 一 the first global strategy for youth in the water sector and the first strategic framework of the Global Youth Movement for Water. The strategy translates youth priorities into specific objectives and a shared vision for strengthening youth engagement in water governance. It establishes an operational framework based on three strategic pillars: capacity building, access to opportunities, and institutionalized participation in governance. 

The Strategy calls for increased investment in youth capacity development, greater support for youth-led initiatives, and the creation of formal mechanisms to ensure meaningful youth participation in water decision-making at all levels. Aligned with global processes, the Strategy provides concrete mechanisms for implementation, monitoring, and inclusion of young people in global water governance, with a view to the 2026 UN Water Conference and beyond. Youth engagement, which until then had often been symbolic and fragmented, is thus transformed into a comprehensive and structured roadmap. 

In July 2025, the President of the UN General Assembly (PGA) convened a Preparatory Meeting in New York for the 2026 UN Water Conference to adopt the themes of the six interactive dialogues. This event strengthened collaboration between the Global Youth Movement for Water and the UN Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY), notably by the involvement of the Water Youth Network (WYN), a founding member of the Movement and mandated as the SDG 6 constituency. Since then, partners from both networks have been working closely to prepare youth engagement in the 2026 UN Water Conference and its upcoming milestones.

Read more : Youth speak up for water: UNESCO organizes first Water Youth Dialogue

Youth demand action: their aspirations for the 2026 UN Water Conference

2026 — Towards the 2026 UN Water Conference

In January 2026, youth actors from around the world mobilized in Dakar alongside the High-Level Preparatory Meeting for the 2026 United Nations Water Conference. 

In close collaboration with the UN Major Group for Children and Youth SDG6 Water Youth Network (UN MGCY SDG6 WYN), UNESCO, the Association des Jeunes Professionnels de l’Eau et de l’Assainissement du Sénégal (AJPEAS), the Geneva Water Hub, the International Water Association (IWA), Wavemakers United, Swiss Water Partnership Youth (SWPYouth), AFR’EAU, IPAR (Initiative Prospective Agricole et Rurale) and other key partners of the Global Youth Movement for Water, youth representatives and institutional stakeholders worked to advance the implementation of the Water Youth Strategy.

Through a series of events — including the Youth Interactive Days, the UN DESA One-Day Stakeholder Meeting, and a Youth Debrief Session — youth networks, organizations, and institutional partners came together to strengthen coordination and align priorities for the road to the Conference. These exchanges helped define a shared roadmap focused on a limited number of realistic, high-impact actions addressing concrete barriers faced by young people, strengthening existing partnerships, and building durable institutional pathways for youth engagement in water governance.

Building on the momentum generated since the launch of the Global Youth Movement for Water, 2026 marks a continued shift toward a more coordinated, institutionalized youth engagement in the water sector, grounded and structured around concrete actions, shared tools, and measurable impact.

Read more : Global Youth Movement for Water : youth shaping the road to the 2026 UN Water Conference and beyond

The post-2030 agenda and maintaining momentum in water diplomacy

Mission

The Global Youth Movement for Water (GYMW) aims to strengthen the recognition, role, and impact of youth in addressing global water challenges and advancing towards a water-secure future for all.

By bringing together youth-led organizations and partners from across the water sector, the movement pools resources, strengthens collective capacity, and increases the bargaining power of youth to influence decision-making and stimulate concrete action at local, national, and global levels.

Through coordination, shared tools, and collective advocacy, the Movement aims to transform youth engagement from symbolic participation into meaningful and long-term contributions to water governance.

What we do 

The movement works to:

• connect youth organizations and networks working on water worldwide
• increase the financial and technical capacities of young water leaders and youth-led initiatives 
• amplify youth voices in international decision-making processes
• support collaboration between youth, institutions, and water professionals
• enhance coordination of local, regional and global water youth organisations through the community of practice
• promote concrete actions that contribute to sustainable water management.

Guiding Principles

• BY YOUTH, FOR YOUTH, WITH YOUTH
• EMBRACING DIVERSITY
• STRONGER TOGETHER

A growing global coalition

The Global Youth Movement for Water brings together a wide range of actors from across the water sector, including:

• youth organizations and youth networks
• young water professionals
• academic and research institutions
• international organizations and NGOs
• regional and national youth platforms.

Together, these partners contribute to building a stronger and more coordinated youth movement capable of shaping the future of water governance.

Leading from within 

The movement is built on a horizontal and collaborative approach to leadership. It remains flexible and dynamic, encouraging organizations to contribute while maintaining their own identities and ways of working.

Youth-led organizations are the core actors of the movement. Institutional partners from civil society, the private sector, and public institutions support youth initiatives while respecting the independence and leadership of youth organizations.

Join the movement

Are you a youth-led organisation or association active in the water space? Do you want to amplify your voice and contribute to a global movement for change? 

Are you a non-youth organisation wanting to further support the global youth movement for water by offering technical or financial support ?

By joining the movement, members contribute to a global effort to connect initiatives, share knowledge, and amplify youth leadership in addressing water challenges worldwide.

IMPORTANT: To help us achieve our objectives and impact, we ask that only one representative from each organisation be part of the Movement. Individuals may not apply to become part of the Movement. 

If you are a young person looking for ways to get involved in the water space and have yet to connect with other youth in your country, we invite you to reach out to a youth organisation active in the Movement.

If you have any questions, please reach out to globalyouthmovement4water@sie-isw.org