CONTEXT
The Global Youth Movement for Water aims to connect organizations active in the water & youth space to foster collaboration and synergies and increase the outreach and impact of all actors in this sector, from the local to the global levels. To date, over 200 global, regional and national organisations are part of the movement. The movement provides youth-led organizations with more visibility, credibility and recognition, as they engage and support individuals who wish to act. The core activities of the movement for 2022 and 2023 will be dedicated to mobilizing youth and influencing decision-makers before, during and after the UN2023 Water Conference.
ABOUT THE UN2023 WATER CONFERENCE
While the Conference will not result in a negotiated outcome, it is expected to deliver a set of voluntary commitments in the form of a Water Action Agenda, a summary of the proceedings, and a roadmap for the second half of the 2018-2028 Water Decade and the SDGs, which are set to be achieved two years after the Decade concludes. As the first UN Conference dedicated to water in over 45 years, this Conference will be a watershed moment and youth voices must be at the forefront of discussions. The Netherlands and Tajikistan, as co-hosts of the Conference, will strive to make the Conference a watershed moment for the world. Their vision for the Conference is that we all fundamentally understand, value and manage water better and take concerted action to achieve the internationally agreed water-related goals and targets, including those contained in the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. While the Water Action Decade is an essential enabler for the 2030 Agenda, including SDG 6, additional enhancement of a UN system-wide approach to water is necessary for the achievement of water-related goals and targets and to reinforce the international water voice and cross-sectoral connections.
The Conference shall:
- Exchange views and develop actions and initiatives needed for accelerating progress;
- Support further action, initiatives and success, and enhance means of implementation and partnerships as well as cooperation at all relevant levels, including international cooperation, as appropriate, to accelerate the achievement and promote the implementation of the objectives of the Decade, including with regard to sustainable development and integrated management of water resources, including through collaborative approaches;
- Co-hosts strive to bring together countries and stakeholders that will present their concrete plans, agreements and actions through voluntary commitments and partnerships;
- Co-hosts strive to support an action agenda for change in the way societies use, allocate and value water;
- Share ongoing efforts, best practices and experience;
- Involve all relevant stakeholders to assess challenges and opportunities relating to, as well as support further action to implement the Conference’s objectives.
The movement is a key player in ensuring that youth are united and have an impactful voice before, during and after this conference. To ensure that the above mentioned objectives are achieved, the Global Youth Movement for Water aims to:
1. MOBILISE & EMPOWER youth on the Road to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference – Over 200 youth networks from all regions of the world will be mobilised towards the Conference. Youth will increase their capacities and knowledge regarding advocacy and international policy processes in the water sector and more specifically, on the UN2023 Water Decade Conference
2. INFLUENCE DECISION MAKERS on the Road to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference – Local, regional and global decision-makers will increase their awareness on the priorities of young people in the lead up to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference. Through regional intergenerational dialogues, youth will advocate for bold, ambitious and impactful commitments in the framework of the Water Action Agenda.
3. REPRESENT youth voices and priorities during the UN2023 Water Decade Conference – Youth (especially from the Global South) will actively (& physically) participate and influence the UN2023 Water Decade Conference in New York.
To do so, the Movement will lead a global mobilisation based on key messages and actions of youth worldwide, support youth representatives to physically attend the conference, work with organizers to advocate for youth representation amongst all national delegation, support the accreditation process of youth-led organization, hold a series of virtual capacity-building sessions and host a youth-led side-event in New York. For this conference to be truly impactful, the key impact must be felt not only by the few who will physically attend the conference but most importantly by all communities around the world in the months leading up to the conference and in the years following this important moment.
For this reason, the Movement wishes to support local, national and regional youth-led events that will work to advocate and influence local youth and decision-makers on the importance of this conference & the commitments made by the youth to the Water Action Agenda. The outcomes of each local/regional event will feed into the global communication campaign with the hope of connecting the local movements to the global agenda. The Movement will support representatives from local/regional events to take part physically in the UN2023 Water Conference in New York to share the messages and priorities from their region. We will work with key partners in the hopes that each representative will be invited to join their official national delegation.
OBJECTIVES OF THE REGIONAL/LOCAL DIALOGUES:
1. MOBILISE & EMPOWER youth on the Road to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference – Increase their capacities and knowledge of youth on a local and regional scale regarding advocacy and international policy processes in the water sector and more specifically, on the UN2023 Water Decade Conference;
2. INFLUENCE DECISION MAKERS on the Road to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference – Increase the awareness of local, regional and global decisionmakers on the priorities of young people in the lead up to the UN2023 Water Decade Conference and advocate for bold, ambitious and impactful commitments in the framework of the Water Action Agenda;
3. CONNECT the local to the global and show that youth all over the world are mobilized and proposing concrete initiatives.
GUIDELINES:
- Must be organized in January or February 2023;
- Must be youth-led;
- Must include an intergenerational component;
- Must be focused on the UN2023 Water Decade Conference, its related themes & implementation of SDG6;
- Can be in person, virtual or hybrid;
- Must include a working session to further discuss the key advocacy messages and proposed commitments of the Movement to the UN2023 Conference & Water Action Agenda, how these can be adapted/modified to the local/regional context & needs and how these messages can be used to influence decision-making;
- Each event will work with the communication team of the global campaign to produce material to put forward the local/regional priorities of youth and the outcomes/impact of this event.
The events can be led in any region except the Asia-Pacific region*.
ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA:
- The event must be developed, led and implemented by youth aged between 18 and 35 (intergenerational collaboration, the presence and involvement of decision-makers and collaboration with various organizations are strongly encouraged);
- Proposals led by a consortium of youth partners are strongly encouraged;
- The organisation submitting the proposal and leading the consortium must be part of the Global Youth Movement for Water (if your organization is not part of the Movement, we invite you to reach out to an organization who is a member and explore how you collaborate)
- The project can be submitted in French, English or Spanish;
- The projects must be implemented in one of the targeted regions with participants in one or several of these regions;
- Proposal must be submitted using the form
- Each organization can submit only one proposal either as leader or member of the consortium.
To read the full eligibility & selection criteria
Deadline to submit: November 14th
