Youth Voices → Policy Choices: A Dialogue for Water and Climate Change Policies between Young Leaders and Policy-Makers will empower youth to define a clear vision for the future. Young leaders will meet with experienced policymakers to craft actionable visions for water in advance of COP24 in Katowice, Poland this December.
The project 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).
"Solidarity Water Europe is thrilled to be collaborating on this important project with our partners in Central and Eastern Europe," said SWE President Antonella Cagnolati. "It is our goal to empower youth to communicate effective policy messages about the water and climate issues that matter."
Youth Voices → Policy Choices will start with a wide-ranging survey to gauge the opinions of youth on water and climate. Throughout summer and fall 2018, transnational advocacy workshops will bring together youth from 11 countries in Central and Eastern Europe. The project aims to empower and engage youth in the region who want to make a difference for water and climate. Selected participants will present aspects of their vision to European elected officials at COP24 later this year.
“Youth initiatives on climate change and water are vital in our region where future climate scenarios forecast increased frequency and severity of extreme weather events,” explained Richard Muller, regional coordinator for GWP Central and Eastern Europe. “Today’s youth are the ones who will face the impacts of climate change in their daily lives.”
“Being involved in this project means moving towards one of the primary missions of the Youth Water Community CEE,” said YWCCEE President Jelena Krstajic. “This will help us in giving a voice to young water professionals from our region who are already active in our network, and tailoring the visibility path for new generations of water professionals yet to come.”
With all partners included, the project's reach extends to Bulgaria, Armenia, Hungary, Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Ukraine, Slovakia and France.
The initiative is part of Youth for Water and Climate, a platform providing technical and financial support to young water leaders.
Youth Voices → Policy Choices starts at the beginning of April and will run until the conclusion of COP24.