Organiser: IWRA
Representative: Mary Trudeau (E-mail: m.trudeau@iwra.org)
Session description
IWRA created the World Water Envoy programme to hear stories from the next generation and to give them a chanceto showcase the difficult water issues they and their communities face, and the solutions they are exploring when itcomes to balancing water needs of humans and nature. This Special Session provides a key forum for the Envoys to1 / 2present their projects, pose the challenging questions they face, and engage with others working on similar issues toidentify potential next steps and solutions. An objective of the Special Session is to engage in small group discussionson the four projects championed by the Envoys. The presentations and the small group discussions will provide opportunities to explore specific challenges in depth. An outcome of the Special Session will be reports by each of the Envoys on next steps and potential solutions for their particular project that were identified during the Special Session.The session will also provide opportunities for networking among practitioners, including young professionals and seasoned experts. Each Envoy was selected because they demonstrated excellence in advancing a project that is directly related to the World Water Congress theme. The Envoys have experience from geographically diverse regions, andtheir presentations will highlight some challenges, successes, lessons learned, and policy linkages to addressing on-theground challenges. Although each Envoy will present a particular project, these projects are representative of potential approaches to common challenges facing other communities worldwide. The Session will provide an opportunity for practitioners to engage in discussions with like-minded individuals to both learn from and assist the Envoys in creating solutions for specific challenges, while also discussing their own similar challenges and solutions elsewhere. The90-minute session will open with welcoming remarks by IWRA and an overview of the World Water Envoy Program.Next, each Envoy will make a 10-minute presentation outlining their project and key questions to be discussed in smaller groups. The presentations will be followed by a 30-minute period of small group discussions, with each Envoy and their IWRA mentor facilitating discussions in one of four groups. Participants in the Special Session will choose which small group to join based on their experience, interests and similar challenges. The session will close with each Envoy providing a brief summary of key discussion points raised during the small group meetings, followed by closing remarks by IWRA's Executive Director.
Special Session online documents