Welcome to Human Right 2 Water Youth!
Our goal is to bring together a diverse variety of global youth networks working in water and sanitation, all of whom are seeking to achieve the Human Rights to Water and Sanitation. Here, we provide them with a platform that works as a space to share their ideas, their work and their projects as well as keep up to date with the work of other networks. Young team members at Human Right 2 Water are leading this initiative, with Imanol Aguilera as the coordinator of the programme. Please do get in touch if your network would like to become a Human Right 2 Water Youth Member.
Read more about our activities through our news reports below, starting with a webinar and the development of a Youth Declaration. This paper, jointly developed with our youth members, highlights the need to raise awareness, and innovative ideas for the protection of all marginalised people, especially indigenous peoples and women, through inclusion, education and participation.
African Youth Perspectives
As part of its Interview Series Campaign, the Human Right 2 Water Youth (HR2W Youth) team organised an online meeting with Emmanuel Chimezie Uguru, the African Sanitation Monitoring Support Officer at AMCOW and member of the HR2W youth platform, to discuss some of the most prominent water and sanitation challenges young African people face, and some of the policies put in place by AMCOW to tackle these issues.
We need to provide access to basic WASH services for the young population. We also need to develop their capacities through the implementation of platforms for knowledge exchange and to provide the enabling environment for the voices and plights of young people so they can be heard at the highest level.” argued Emmanuel when he was asked about the steps that needed to be taken to efficiently and effectively engage the youth in the dialogue on water and human rights.
Youth Platform Launch
The dialogue and engagement between these young people through the webinar and the meetings in preparation, resulted in a signed declaration to confirm the need to involve youth in water governance and respond to the many pressing challenges that the world is facing in water today.
Human Right 2 Water Youth has been modelled as a platform, based on the series of interviews that were held with the different youth networks. It was seen as a place to raise awareness of the human rights to water and sanitation and to support youth -led innovation and movements across the globe.
Webinar: The Importance of Engaging Young People
7th October 2020, 16:00h CET – Watch the Webinar
Hosts: Imanol Aguilera, Legal Researcher at Human Right 2 Water and Gussie Lloyd, Communications Manager at Human Right 2 Water
Experts: Daniel Cano (Organisation of American States, USA), Antonella Vagliente (Young Water Solutions, Belgium), Muhammad Wasif Bashir Babar (Pakistan Youth Parliament for Water, Pakistan), Nuzhat Bashir (Youth Leader and Social Enterpriser in WASH, Pakistan), Ashton Busani Mpofu (South African Young Water Professionals, South Africa), Sheila Ruyondo (Young Water Solutions, Uganda), Cuauhtémoc Osorno Córdova (World Youth Parliament for Water, Mexico), Abishek Narayan (Swiss Water Partnership, Switzerland)
The webinar reflected on the importance of engaging young people in this dialogue on water and human rights. Based on the experiences of our panellists, we will be exploring the ways in which the involvement of young people in water related projects has been beneficial in promoting and protecting human rights. We will be presenting a series of case studies that will also help to gain an understanding of the main challenges faced by young people as they strive to play a role in the decision-making processes.
The Importance of Engaging Young People in the Dialogue on Water and Human Rights
According to UNESCO, people under the age of 30 accounted for more than half of the world’s population in 2012. With the drive and passion that the youth possess, they have the capability to play a fundamental role in societal change and contributing to the realisation of the human rights to water and sanitation worldwide. Empowering young people and providing them with access to decision making platforms remains a serious challenge preventing them from successfully achieving their full potential.
Did you know, that if you are a student, or under 30, you can become an associate member of Human Right 2 Water? See our membership page. Also, if you are part of a youth network, and working on water and sanitation solutions, and it is not listed on this page, then please get in touch with us at comms@humanright2water.org
