On 29 August 2022, in Stockholm, Sweden, Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda and Mr. Henk Ovink, Special Envoys of the Republic of Tajikistan and the Netherlands for Water Resources, took part and spoke at the launch of Wavemakers United’s Gamechanger Challenge, which took place as part of the World Water Week.
Wavemakers United is an online platform that aims to educate young people in local communities about the functions and value of water. Students, young professionals and athletes become ambassadors, knowledgeable about the world’s water issues and solutions. The platform aims to raise awareness through a local to global to local approach where youth in their local communities access the platform and learn from other water enthusiasts about the world’s problems and solutions, creating a global network of Wavemakers.
The Gamechanger Challenge is a joint initiative between this platform and IHE Delft, supported by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, and aims to connect young people from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to come up with innovations that can achieve the SDGs with water.
Since the first results of this initiative will be presented during the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York, Mr. Rahimzoda and Mr. Ovink, as co-chairs of this Conference, participated in the launch of the Gamechanger Challenge as special guests and provided an overview of the Conference for Youth and the expectations of the world community from this Conference.
The importance of continuing the active participation of young people, as the generation of the future, in promoting water issues at the national, regional and global levels was also noted.
