Second Children World Water Forum

Children, Water and Education at the 4th World Water Forum

The event Children, Water and Education is framed within the decades Education for Sustainable Development and Water for Life, launched by the United Nations Organisation in 2005. The Mexican Institute of Water Technology (IMTA) will coordinate this event.

Second Children World Water Forum

This event will gather children ages 11 to 15 years from the Americas, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia-Pacific. The children will be presenting their local actions in water, environment and sanitation. Thematic workshops will introduce participatory tools and educational activities designed to enhance and support the local actions of children. These workshops will be conducted by programme partners such as: UNICEF, the Japan Water Forum, UNEP, UNESCO, UN-Habitat and Project WET, between local action presentations (preliminary programme is attached).

Young participants will work together at the Children’s Forum to identify five local actions which are to be formally presented during the Intergenerational Dialogue Session at the Thematic Forum (component III). Participants will write and present a “Call for Action” to the Ministers, which will be designed to build on the vision set forth in the Children’s Water Manifesto at the Third World Water Forum.

Participants will be selected with the support of the Forum Regional Committees and UNICEF, according to the following guidelines:

1. Topics of the children local actions will match the framework themes and crosscutting perspectives of the 4th World Water Forum.
2. Up to five youth-led local actions per region may be presented.
3. Up to 20 participants per region may be selected.
4. Up to three children per country may be selected.
5. Participants shall preferably speak Spanish or English. Otherwise they should be accompanied by an interpreter.

This component will be coordinated by UNICEF with support from IMTA, the Japan Water Forum and the Project WET International Foundation and other institutions who will conduct water education activities and workshops designed to broaden their knowledge on water topics and to support and strengthen the efforts of children in their local communities.

Global Water Education Village

It will provide space for exhibition and demonstration of water education programmes from several countries, and will include space for conducting activities and workshops. This component will be coordinated by the Project WET International Foundation with support from IMTA and other institutions.

Sessions at the Thematic Forum

1. Intergenerational Dialogue: This session is aimed to highlight local actions of children from the II Children World Water Forum (component I), on water, environment and sanitation. Its goal is to facilitate a dialogue between children and experts to find ways to foster and multiply children involvement in local actions. UNICEF and IMTA will co-convene this session.
2. Water Education: UNESCO, Project WET International Foundation and IMTA will co-convene this session, aimed to underscore the importance of education for sustainable development and for the attainment of the Millennium Goals.

Read the children's Water Manifesto