Background
While substantial progress has been made in increasing access to clean drinking water and sanitation, billions of people around the world still lack these basic services. Furthermore, water-related hazards are among the most frequent types of disasters and have affected billions of people worldwide over the past 20 years. Increasing climate and weather variability is more frequently affecting the reliability of surface- and groundwater resources and increasing the intensity and distribution of floods and droughts.
In this context, water data of adequate quality and quantity is a prerequisite to address the increasing water-related challenges around the world and support decision-making in all aspects of water resources management. Enhancing the provision of water data is vital to effective water resources management and the provision of safe and reliable water supplies. In this regard, the youth engagement in the innovation and operations of water monitoring systems is essential. This includes youth participation in decision-making processes and crowdsourcing projects, as well as more young people professionally engaging in water-related fields.
Objectives
The Youth Symposium aimed at raising awareness among the young generation on:
- Sustainable water resources management and the role of youth
- Role of water monitoring in delivering hydrological services
- Crowdsourcing and career perspectives in the field of water
Also, Youth Statements were prepared as an outcome of the Symposium and will be used as a contribution to youth inputs at the UN 2023 Water Conference, COY17/COP27 and the UN-Water Summit on Groundwater 2022.
Report & Youth Statements
The WMO HydroHub Youth Symposium Report is available here.
The Youth Statements from the WMO HydroHub Youth Symposium are available here.
Agenda & Flyer
The Symposium Agenda is available here.
The Symposium Flyer is available here.
Event Presentations
- Youth Perspective on the Importance of Groundwater Monitoring for Sustainable Water Management - Michel Frem (GWYN)
- The importance of water data to address environmental challenges - Nick Everard (UKCEH)
- Innovative methods of doing hydrology & role of youth - Salvador Peña Haro (WMO HydroHub Think Tank)
- GEO AquaWatch and its Early Career Society - Tania Jeannette Llamas Franco (GEO)
- Citizen Science in Hydrology: the CrowdWater Project - Mirjam Scheller (CrowdWater)
- SmartPhones4Water – Leveraging Citizen Science, Young Researchers and Mobile Technology for Sustainable Water Monitoring - Rajaram Prajapati (S4W)
- Career prospects for hydro(-geo)logists in West Africa: Opportunities and challenges for recent graduates - Axel Laurel Tcheheumeni Djanni (Cheikh Anta Diop University of Dakar)
- Career perspectives in water-related fields - Graham Jewitt (IHE Delft Institute for Water Education)
- Testimonials from young water professionals - Awa Diagne
