WWD 2001 Event
Youth World Water Forum
The Youth World Water Forum in the Netherlands is using World Water Day 2001 to launch a web site for students and young professionals. On 22 March it will also organize an official press presentation about the Youth World Water Forum that the Hogeschool Zeeland is planning to organize in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, from 25 to 28 June 2001.
Many students and young water professionals want to be ambassadors of water awareness. Young people are not tied to any organisation or company, have free minds and are ready for change. To prepare for a strong voice in the Third World Water Forum in Japan in 2003, these young people want to establish a task force to stimulate a global debate on water issues. Hogeschool Zeeland—a university of professional education situated in Vlissingen (the Netherlands)—will act as the host of the Youth World Water Forum (YWWF) in June 2001 and of the YWWF web site.
In the period up to 1 April a worldwide recruitment among young people who want to participate in this unique conference will take place. Candidates must be young people between 18 and 25 years old:
- Students: studying (Bcs, Msc), taking a doctor's degree (Ph.D.) in water related issues
- Young professionals: several years working experience in water related issues
- Engineers, economists, legal advisers, communication and information experts, etc.
We especially focus on students and young professionals living in the following river basins:
- Tisza
- Yellow River (Hoang Ho)
- Colorado
- Paraná
- Zambezi
- Aral sea
- Ganges
- Jordan
Water is the basic element of human activity. Since the world faces a water crisis, however, attention, awareness and action are needed in order to make water a sustainable resource. Water needs to be everybody's business - as was discussed during the Second World Water Forum (WWF2) in The Hague in 2000. In accordance with the motto ‘From Vision to Action’, young people presented their Youth Vision Statement and the Youth Action Plan. They stated: “…we bring a fresh perspective …the future is being written right now”.
Information on the results of the June conference and on the Internet meetings between young people will be distributed at least until WWF3 in Japan. The web site will therefore be a unique medium for maintaining a youth world water network.
Contact
Youth World Water Forum Office
Hogeschool Zeeland
P.O. Box 364
4380 AJ Vlissingen
The Netherlands
Tel.: + 31 0118-489000
Fax: + 31 0118-489200
Internet: http://www.ywwf.net
E-mail: ywwf@mail.hzeeland.nl