The UN 2023 Water Conference – formally known as the 2023 Conference for the Midterm Comprehensive Review of Implementation of the UN Decade for Action on Water and Sanitation (2018-2028) – will take place at UN Headquarters in New York, 22-24 March 2023, co-hosted by Tajikistan and the Netherlands.
The conference will include an opening and closing session, six plenary sessions, and five interactive dialogues, as well as side events organized by participants. It will result in a summary of proceedings from the UNGA President that will feed into the 2023 session of the UN High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF).
The World Youth Parliament for Water will take on an important role during the conference. Members from various working groups and representing several local and regional chapters will be present in New York to make the voice of youth heard.
The network has also been hard at work in the preparation of the interactive dialogues, as well as several special events and side events. The World Youth Parliament for Water, the African Youth Parliament for Water, the South African Youth Parliament for Water and the Sudanese Youth Parliament for Water will all be hosting or co-hosting events during the week. A number of members will also be speaking as panelists or moderators in other contexts.
Over the past months, over 250 youth-led organisations have organized into the Global Youth Movement for Water, to add more weight to their voice at this conference and carry common demands. As a member of the Global Youth Movement for Water, the World Youth Parliament for Water contributes to this common voice and messages.
The #FillUpTheGlass communication campaign allows us to show our support for this movement and its demands. We will also carry these messages in our interventions throughout the conference.
Here are the five key demands of the movement, organized under each interactive dialogue taking place during the conference:
1. Water for Health
We demand that access to water and proper sanitation be ensured for all as basic human rights, especially for young women and girls.
2. Water for Development
We demand that young people gain access to dedicated funding to implement innovative community-based water solutions, and that those investments be made public to promote transparency and accountability.
3. Water for Climate
We demand that young leaders and entrepreneurs, especially youth and women, receive adequate education to acquire knowledge and skills necessary to better tackle water and climate issues.
4. Water for Cooperation
We demand that young people be included in water-related mechanisms, negotiations and decisions so that they can be part of the solution. Water is an instrument of peace, and cooperation is needed to guarantee peaceful societies. By 2030, youth below 30 years old must represent at least 30% of stakeholders engaged in water management and governance mechanisms, consultation and decision-making processes at the local, regional and global level (#303030)
5. Water Action Decade
We demand that an inclusive and permanent body be created within the United Nations to address water challenges. Furthermore, we demand that a UN Youth Envoy on Water be nominated.
Do you want to learn more about the conference and the events we are part of?
Click on the picture to explore the program and all of the exciting sessions 👉🏼
To see a list of the sessions that the World Youth Parliament for Water, the African Youth Parliament for Water, the South African Youth Parliament for Water and the Sudan Youth Parliament for Water are (co-)organizing, click on the schedule below 👇🏼
