Implementation of the Water and Climate Youth Development Plan and Agenda (YDPA)
United International Federation of Youth for Water and Climate
(
Civil society organization
)
#SDGAction50317
Description
Recognizing that meaningful youth engagement is key to jointly accelerate SDG 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and SDG 13 (Climate Action), the United International Federation of Youth for Water and Climate (UN1FY) was mandated by the co-hosts of the United Nations 2023 Water Conference (Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Republic of Tajikistan) to develop the Water and Climate Youth Development Plan and Agenda (YDPA).
As the major output of UN1FY, the YDPA consolidated the inputs of young people for the United Nations 2023 Water Conference. Specifically, the YDPA seeks to highlight youth perceptions, evaluate their level of awareness regarding water and climate issues, identify key challenges in water and climate, and formulate recommendations in the form of actionable Policies, Projects, Programs, and Activities (3PAs).
The YDPA was drafted with a sound methodology, with an emphasis on being evidence-based and data-driven. The drafting and synthesis process of the YDPA is also consultative and representative. The collective youth position towards water and climate challenges was derived through a global survey with 4500+ responses. This was complemented by several instances of validation and enrichment with young people in international conferences, such as the Dushanbe Water Process and the 27th Conference of the Parties (COP27).
Taken together, the YDPA provides a concrete plan of action and strategy for the adoption and implementation by all stakeholders, including UN member states (governments), international organizations, the private sector, civil society, academia, and youth, in order to help transform water and climate ambition into action. The Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) mechanism is presented in three components: (1) Secretariat Independent M&E, (2) Stakeholders M&E, and (3) Consolidated Annual M&E, which consolidates (1) and (2) in order to serve as a feedback mechanism. The implementation and follow-up processes of the YDPA are expected to be supported by the following recommendations: (1) the institutionalization of a youth-focused Secretariat, (2) the creation of a Water and Climate Support Fund, and (3) the establishment of a biennial conference.
UN1FY commits to overseeing the above engagements to the extent that the requisite financial and institutional support is provided by UN agencies and UN member states.
In the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the interdependence between SGD 6 (Clean Water and Sanitation) and 13 (Climate Action) cannot be overstated. For one, the impacts of climate change have further intensified stress on water sources. The intensified hydrological cycle has changed the global precipitation, patterns leading to intense and frequent droughts, extreme flooding, erratic rainfall patterns, declining snow reservoirs, and glaciers (WMO, 2022) – with cascading effects on the vulnerable populations, including women, children, and young people worldwide who are bearing the brunt of these crises more than ever.
Furthermore, water management is central to climate action. The increasing rise of adaptation and resilience in the climate agenda has opened the door for water to be a medium of resilience. For example, the IPCC’s 2022 AR6 report called for the majority of adaptation and resilience efforts to be “water based”. Furthermore, increased water stress and meeting future demands will require increasingly difficult decisions about how to allocate water resources between competing water uses, including for climate change mitigation and adaptation (UN-Water, 2019).
The YDPA is born from the urgent and pressing need to integrate water and climate in the same conversation, with a focus on youth empowerment. Pivoting in the youth perceptions towards water and climate challenges, the YDPA identifies the key barriers in youth participation, and formulates stakeholder-specific recommendations in the form of actionable Policies, Programs, Projects, and Activities (3PAs).
The 3PAs are organized in eight pillars of action, each of which has a specific goal. Specifically, two pillars provide enabling conditions (youth representation, financing and finance), three pillars are led by non-youth stakeholders (capacity development, data-knowledge generation and innovation, governance and management), and three pillars are led by youth stakeholders (influence and advocacy, networking and partnerships, direct action). Furthermore, the 3PAs are categorized into four tiers of youth empowerment, which are awareness, participation, empowered action, and leadership. As young people move up the tiers, they become more empowered, increasing their capacity to be agents of change. Accordingly, they can exercise greater impact and influence in the water and climate sector, contributing to SDG6 and SDG13 targets.
Finally, the YDPA acknowledges the need for national governments to set their context-specific SDG 6 and SDG13 targets, and incorporate them into national planning processes, policies, and strategies by taking into account local circumstances and baseline conditions. To this end, the YDPA was designed with a specific strategy for commitment-building, and contains a roadmap for implementation from 2023 to 2030.
Water and Climate Coalition, World Meteorological Organization, YOUNGO – Official Children and Youth Constituency of the UNFCCC, Major Group for Children and Youth, Global Youth Movement on Water
Developing effective and meaningful partnerships is a critical priority for UN1FY to unlock the power of international and intergenerational collaboration. Stakeholders interested to support the Water and Climate Youth Development Plan and Agenda are welcome to contact the UN1FY Secretariat at ydpa@un1fy.org
SDGS & Targets
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 13
Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts
13.1
Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries
13.1.1
Number of deaths, missing persons and directly affected persons attributed to disasters per 100,000 population
13.1.2
Number of countries that adopt and implement national disaster risk reduction strategies in line with the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
13.1.3
Proportion of local governments that adopt and implement local disaster risk reduction strategies in line with national disaster risk reduction strategies
13.2
Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies and planning
13.2.1
Number of countries with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
13.2.2
Total greenhouse gas emissions per year
13.3
Improve education, awareness-raising and human and institutional capacity on climate change mitigation, adaptation, impact reduction and early warning
13.3.1
Extent to which (i) global citizenship education and (ii) education for sustainable development are mainstreamed in (a) national education policies; (b) curricula; (c) teacher education; and (d) student assessment
13.a
Implement the commitment undertaken by developed-country parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change to a goal of mobilizing jointly $100 billion annually by 2020 from all sources to address the needs of developing countries in the context of meaningful mitigation actions and transparency on implementation and fully operationalize the Green Climate Fund through its capitalization as soon as possible
13.a.1
Amounts provided and mobilized in United States dollars per year in relation to the continued existing collective mobilization goal of the $100 billion commitment through to 2025
13.b
Promote mechanisms for raising capacity for effective climate change-related planning and management in least developed countries and small island developing States, including focusing on women, youth and local and marginalized communities
13.b.1
Number of least developed countries and small island developing States with nationally determined contributions, long-term strategies, national adaptation plans and adaptation communications, as reported to the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
| Name | Description |
|---|---|
| 17.14 | Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development |
Deliverables & Timeline
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
Share
Timeline
Entity
Region
- Global
Other beneficiaries
Civil society, youth organisations, UN member states, international organizations, and the private sector
More information
Countries
Contact Information
Jan, Programme Management Associate; Youth Engagement Officer - Water and Climate Coalition, World Meteorological Organization