Towards 2030 Agenda: A summer school for climate change, innovation and youth advocacy in water management

The Summer School „Towards 2030 Agenda: A summer school for climate change, innovation and youth advocacy in water management“ will take place on 1- 6 July 2018 at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw, Poland.

Objectives

Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe has designed this summer school to enhance skills of students currently enrolled in different water related MSc and PhD programs from universities throughout Europe. The curriculum aims at presenting the most current global and regional water issues, possible ways to address them and innovative approaches.

Main topics

The main topics will include: international water governance, the SGDs, green infrastructures, innovative solutions, ecosystems, nature-based solutions and others. Guest lecturers from different institutions and organisations that will provide the students with valuable insights into river basin management, river restoration, transboundary water issues, water governance, integrated urban water management and many more. There will be case studies on the application of integrated water resources management, as well as many practical exercises and group work that will contribute to the better understanding of multi-disciplinary aspects of water governance such as legal issues, participatory approaches, and conflict resolution techniques.

The summer school will have a special focus on Water Security and Climate Resilience which will deal with some of the most globally discussed climate topics at the moment. These will include Paris Agreement, National Adaptation Plans, Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Green Climate Fund, GWP Water and Climate Programme, Integrated Drought Management Programme and others. The participants will learn how the planning and decision-making at national and regional level is influenced by the latest analyses and processes on the global level.

A dialogue between youth and decision-makers

A very important part of the Summer School will be a dialogue for Water and Climate Change Policies between Young Leaders and Policy-Makers called Youth Voices → Policy Choices. This initiative, funded by the European Union's Erasmus+ program, will provide an interactive platform for a dialogue between young water advocates with decision-makers. Young leaders will meet with experienced policymakers to craft actionable visions for water in advance of 24th Session of the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC COP24) that will be held  on3-14 December 2018 in Katowice, Poland.

The dialogue Youth Voices → Policy Choices has been made possible thanks to a collaboration between Solidarity Water Europe, the  Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE), and Youth Water Community Central and Eastern Europe (YWCCEE).

Eligibility and fees

The Summer School is open to students in existing MSc and PhD water management related programs from Europe, Mediterranean and Caucasus regions. The participants must be able to communicate fluently in English. Selection will be made on first come-first served basis.

Applicants from universities which are registered partners to GWP CEE, GWP MED and GWP CACENA are especially encouraged to apply. If selected, they will be granted financial support, covering the price of the course and accommodation. The participants will have to cover their travel costs to Warsaw. Exceptions in that regard are for participants from the following countries, whose travel cost will be covered as well: Armenia, Bulgaria, France, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, and Ukraine.

 The summer school is open also to MSc and PhD students from any other university in Europe that show an interest in enhancing water resource management knowledge and broader aspects of water security.

Fees:

- 0 EUR registration fee for students from GWP CEE, GWP MED and GWP CACENA Universities which are officially registered as GWP Partners

- 380 EUR registration fee, tuition, accommodation on campus (in double rooms) and lunches for duration of the summer school for student from Universities which are not officially registered as GWP Partners.

Enrollment

To apply, interested students should submit a completed application form and their Curriculum Vitae to GWP CEE at gwpcee@gwpcee.org. Deadline for applying is 13 May 2018.