The Botswana SADC Water Week was held from 28-30 April 2015 in Gaborone at the Cresta President Hotel (Journalist training and Youth Forum) and the Cresta Lodge for the consultative forum. During the youth forum, the youth agreed on setting up a structure that will implement youth activities at country level and this will be housed by the Botswana Water Partnership Secretariat.
Youth are an integral partner in managing water issues – this was evidenced through the participation of over 30 youth that participated in the SADC Water Week held at the Maseru Sun Cabanas Hotel in Maseru, Lesotho from 21-23rd April, 2015. The event proved that engagement of youth in water management issues makes it possible for the youth to understand their roles as possible stewards in water management affairs. Held under the theme “From Vision to Action”, the youth were able to make personal commitment to solutions practicing better water management.
The Cercle Elais Hotel in the Commune of Gombe in Kinshasa, DRC was a hive of the SADC Water week activities that ran from the 27th - 29th of April, 2015. This highly anticipated event was perceived as a big water celebration and brought together national stakeholders from a variety of sectors including civil societies, academic institutions and consumer associations. The programme started with the journalists training which was coupled with the youth forum in an attempt to provide the media practitioners with topic ideas on the challenges and realities faced by the young water professionals. The youth aged from 15 to 35 years old were representatives of various students associations, youth organisations and private companies.
In December this year, the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP21) will take place in Paris. Governments are supposed to come to a universal agreement regarding climate which will determine the future of our planet.
A youth water forum targeting youth organisations in the water, sanitation and environmental sectors was held at Rainbow Towers in Harare, Zimbabwe on the 17th of March 2015. The youth forum was part of the SADC Water Weeks programme. The SADC Water Weeks are being held in each of the 15 SADC member states spearheaded by the SADC Water Sector under the auspices of the Infrastructure and Services Directorate. The National Water Weeks, running under the theme “From Vision to Action” are supporting SADC to have a platform in interacting with member states on water resources management strategic issues. Global Water Partnership Southern Africa (GWP SA) is playing a role in providing support in undertaking this initiative.
The capacity needs for youth on IWRM in Lao PDR is strongly needed to advocate the knowledge and skills which they can further support and disseminate among their specific groups in the schools, universities and communities. Youth has more creative ideas and lots of activities related to environmental protection as well as some of water protection – water saving campaign, etc.
The government of Lao PDR is working very constructively to improve the water resources planning and management system in Lao PDR especially in the formal higher education system.
Through the Lao Water Partnership, Mr. Chanthanet Boualapha, Director General of Department of Water Resources, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment who acts as chairperson of Lao Water Partnership opened the consultation on mainstreaming the IWRM in the formal higher education system. He expressed on the important of IWRM progress and application in Laos context for a decade as well as capacity building on this field. He also addressed the importance of the strengthening the local capacity in the whole country for IWRM decentralization and human resource development including emphasizing on integration and mainstreaming IWRM /IRBM approach into education system in each level.
Today, in celebration of the International Francophonie Day, the Right Honourable Michaëlle Jean, Secretary-General of the Organisation international de la Francophonie (OIF), encourages francophone youth to get engaged and learn about a series of youth consultations on water and climate change that OIF has launched in preparation for the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP21).
