Bringing Youth Closer to the 2030 Agenda
Towards 2030 Agenda: A summer school for climate change, innovation and youth advocacy in water management“
From 1–6 July 2018, the Summer School “Towards 2030 Agenda: A Summer School for Climate Change, Innovation and Youth Advocacy in Water Management” took place at the Warsaw University of Life Sciences in Warsaw, Poland. The event brought together young professionals to explore global water challenges, climate change, and innovative approaches to sustainable water management aligned with the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
A total of 46 MSc and PhD students from 18 countries participated, representing disciplines such as natural sciences, engineering, geography, landscape ecology, and international relations. This interdisciplinary mix fostered collaboration and knowledge exchange across different perspectives.
Thematic Focus
The curriculum presented current global and regional water issues and explored innovative solutions. Guest lecturers from organizations and institutions including UNESCO WWAP, ECRR, the University of Ljubljana, Josh’s Water Jobs, and GWP contributed diverse perspectives.
Key topics included:
- Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM)
- International water governance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Green infrastructure and nature-based solutions
- Ecosystem-based approaches and river restoration
- River basin management and integrated urban water management
- Transboundary water cooperation and participatory approaches
- Conflict resolution techniques in water governance
Interactive sessions and case studies allowed participants to step into the roles of various stakeholders, identify challenges, and develop innovative project ideas. A strong focus was placed on climate change, highlighting how global analyses influence national and regional planning and decision-making.
Youth Voices → Policy Choices
A central component of the Summer School was the Dialogue for Water and Climate Change Policies between youth and decision-makers, titled Youth Voices → Policy Choices. Supported by the Erasmus+ programme, the dialogue created an interactive platform for exchange between young water advocates and policy representatives.
Participants presented their ideas and recommendations to decision-makers from ministries, international organizations, and regional initiatives. Among the decision-makers participating in the dialogue were represented: Ms. Liliana Rastocka (Slovak Ministry of Environment), Mr. Mitja Bricelj (State Secretary of the Slovenian Ministry of the Environment and Spatial Planning), Mr. Adam Kovacs (International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River – ICPDR), Ms. Venera Vlad (European Bank for Reconstruction and Development – EBRD), Mr. Viktor Orozsi (EU Strategy for the Danube Region Priority Area 5), and Ms. Lučka Kajfež Bogataj (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change – IPCC).
Feedback from experts helped refine youth proposals, which were later prepared for presentation at COP24 of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.
The Youth Voices → Policy Choices dialogue was made possible through collaboration between Solidarity Water Europe, Global Water Partnership Central and Eastern Europe (GWP CEE), and Youth Water Community Central and Eastern Europe (YWC CEE).
Strengthening Youth Engagement in Water Management
The Summer School emphasized youth participation in water governance and policy processes. By combining lectures, interactive exercises, and direct dialogue with decision-makers, the programme strengthened participants’ ability to contribute to sustainable water management and climate resilience in Central and Eastern Europe and beyond.