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Sustainable water education as a solution

to global water challenges

Yoonjin Kim, Project Manager, International Affairs, Korea Water Forum

ustainable solutions to the many challenges of water

are achievable. These solutions require a multi-sector

approach including schools and community-based water

education to empower the next generation of water leaders and

professionals. The Korea Water Forum provides water educa-

tion with the goal of building this knowledge and awareness

at a young age, and this approach has been applied with great

success in several regional water education partnerships.

Water education to encourage the general public, especially

the young, to understand the intricacies of today’s water prob-

lems will lead to responsible decision-making in the future. In

addition, the process of building consensus among young profes-

sionals on solutions to water challenges will surely prove a

powerful contribution to future water problem solving. Alongside

this water education for the young, research on water education

will create knowledge and standards which will satisfy the needs

of water-related capacity building in developing countries and

those in transition.

As an Asia-Pacific regional water educational channel, the

Korea Water Forum has striven to develop national and interna-

tional public and expert water education programmes

through various activities.

Asia-Pacific Youth Parliament for Water

The Korean Government, Korea Water Forum and

National Assembly Environment Forum came together

to host the Asia-Pacific Youth Parliament for Water

(APYPW) in order to develop young water profession-

als and drive them to position themselves as future

water leaders by encouraging active youth participa-

tion in global water and environment activities. An

annual regional youth forum consisting of around 100

Asia-Pacific youths, the APYPW gathers in Korea every

summer for a week to discuss regional water challenges

and the actions they can take to provide solutions. The

Korea Water Forum intends that this representative

youth initiative in the Asia-Pacific region will bring

together a diversity of young voices and encourage

them to participate in considering solutions to the

water challenges we are facing today. By taking part in

well organized, verified programmes and activities and

ater

ducation

and

nstitutional

evelopment

The APYPW develops young water professionals to position themselves as

future water leaders

Around 100 youths from the Asia-Pacific region gather in Korea every

year to take part in the APYPW

Image: Korea Water Forum