Session FT 5.27

Intergenerational Dialogue

 

Conveners

• UNICEF
• Instituto Mexicano de Tecnologia del Agua
• Japan Water Forum (JWF)

Intergenerational Dialogue, brought well-deserved high-profile attention to the extraordinary contribution made by 107 children from 29 countries between the ages of 11 and 15 at the Second Children’s World Water Forum. Over a period of four days, children gathered to present their local actions and to talk about the critical need to provide access to safe drinking water, healthy environments and adequate sanitation facilities to all children and also to address the importance of taking seriously children’s opinions and needs as key partners in development.
Fifty-five local actions were presented by children for peer-evaluation and ultimately five were selected to be presented to adult policy makers in this session. Child presenters were keenly aware of their responsibility as ambassadors speaking on behalf of the 400 million children in the world who go to bed each night dying of thirst. Because of this lack of safe drinking water, these children cannot go to school, or when they go, they cannot learn well. They also spoke for the millions of other children whose actions are making a difference in remote rural communities but whose voices are largely unheard and whose stories are rarely told. They said that this is wrong. And they are right.
The Children’s World Water Forum Call for Action that was drafted by all children and presented in the Minister’s Forum was mentioned in closing. Representational of the overall event, the children issued a challenge to all adult leaders, expressing that: “We, the children of the world, are ready to work with you. Are you ready to work with us?” Expert panelists responded in kind, expressing commitment of their governments and organizations to supporting child participation in the sector.

 

Lessons learned

Over and over again, in all regions of the world, children express their biggest obstacle to achieving maximum results in their local actions is in convincing adult decision makers to take them seriously. The second biggest challenge facing child advocates and activists is a lack of resources, noting a need for supplies, financing, networking, training and transportation in some cases. Mr. Ijjasz of WSP made note of the fact that the World Bank is further supporting the participation of children and youth recognizing their potential as future leaders who today represent over half the population in the developing world.

 

As adults, we are now called to understand that the ball is once more in our court. At the next, World Water Forum, the children of the world should be in a position to say that, yes, the decision-makers are more willing to listen to us, to support our actions, to involve is in environmental programmes, to work with us. UNICEF joins with IMTA, Japan Water Forum and our esteemed panelists in sincere gratitude to the children for presenting their local actions to us. The children of the Second Children’s World Water Forum have endowed us with a bird’s eye view of what the adults of tomorrow can do now already. These truly inspiring local actions give us hope that the Millennium Development Goals may indeed not be beyond humanity’s reach after all.

 

Key messages

 

1. Fulfill the human right to sustainable, safe drinking water supplies and basic sanitation, through the provision of child-friendly facilities in all schools and communities, taking into account the needs of girls, very young children and children with disabilities.
   
2. Enforce laws to stop deforestation, because without trees the groundwater disappears and the soil destabilizes. For one tree cut we ask you to plant two more.
   
3. Not allow water to become what oil is today: scarce and expensive.
4. Big water (and other) companies should invest ten cents of every dollar of their profits to guarantee safe water for children wherever they are.
   
5. Support peer-led water education, have clubs organized in our schools and communities.
   
6. Guarantee an equal playing field for poor people and polluters.
   
7. Fine those who dump human faeces into our water. Use money from the fines to build water treatment plants.
   
8. Apply common sense in governance. Make rules that can be implemented.
9. Enforce and implement laws for those who contaminate our waters so that there are consequences to be faced.
   
10. Consider the cost of medical treatment and school days missed of children who fall sick because of polluted drinking water and lack of hygiene and sanitation.
    
11. Make it possible for communities and children to participate in the management of the water supply and sanitation facilities to ensure that there is ownership of the facilities.
    
12. Do not allow water to be privatized. Ensure that water is a resource available for all people.
    
13. Do not divert rivers because this creates serious ecological damage to the watershed areas.
    
14. Hold primary polluters responsible for poor water quality in developing countries.

 

Orientations for action

1. Visit our communities, observe our local actions and respond to our requests for support face to face.
   
2. Value us as partners and promote our actions through national radio and television programmes.
   
3. Use direct language in plans and strategies, addressing what children need and want.
   
4. Encourage children to participate in water supply and sanitation programmes, give scholarships and project grants to those who are most active.
   
5. Create a children’s parliament in every country, which includes a committee on water, environment, sanitation and hygiene issues.
6. Take these parliaments seriously in decision-making processes.
   
7. Support networks of children at all levels, to exchange ideas and support one another in their local actions.
   
8. Help us teach all children (without discrimination by age, race, gender, religion or economic status) how to make contaminated water fit for drinking and how to properly dispose of waste in emergency situations.
   
9. Ensure the participation of children in national agendas for poverty reduction, sustainable safe drinking water supply and basic sanitation, education and gender equality.

 

Local Actions presented

 

WASH Movements in Kenya Schools

Charlotte Akoth Ouma and Priscila Wanjiru Karanja

 

The WASH Movement was started at Ayany Primary School in Kibera due to lack of safe and clean water, poor sanitation and lack of electricity. There are no desks at the school and children need to sit on the floor. WASH members are involved in the making of beaded red ribbons which are sold at a fee. The income generated is used to buy certain necessities for water purification, soaps for washing hands and toilet rolls. Some of the money is also used to visit the homes of orphans living with HIV/AIDS of which there are quite a number. Our goal is to empower students and community members to make a difference and to expand the WASH movement into more schools. Drinking clean water has ensured that we don’t suffer from disease like typhoid, diarrhea, vomiting to mention but a few.

 

Youth and children radio programme on water, sanitation and hygiene in the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic

Happy Sisomphone and Phonepasite Silivong

 

In Lao PDR diarrhoea, malaria and malnutrition are direct causes of death of children. Children are infected with diseases that are caused by lack of clean drinking water, sanitary latrines and poor knowledge of personal hygiene. Villagers collect water for drinking from contaminated rivers and wells. Forty children from 2 provinces in Lao PDR were trained and mentored as radio presenters, to address water, sanitation and hygiene issues. In preparation for the youth radio programme, we travel to remote rural areas to educate the children, conducting outreach activities, playing games and providing entertainment to deliver messages about safe and healthy water, sanitation and hygiene behaviours. We believe that children need: a supportive environment to promote participation; correct information and a good understanding of the issues; and training to increase skills and confidence.

 

Water awareness and conservation campaign

Daniel Omar Vega Gonzalez and Amanda Tanairi Diazbarriga Maciel, Mexico

Through participation in expos, conferences and media events, these children increased the appreciation of water resources in their communities. At school, Daniel and Amanda organized a committee to detect leaks and to avoid water waste. The committee requested that school authorities ensure that the water tanks will be washed every six months.

 

Arizona Water Activists Karing for the Environment (AWAKE)

Smitha Ramakrishna of the United States of America

 

AWAKE has three parts: Think Globally; Act Globally and Act Locally. This project was inspired by a personal trip to India and witnessing the poverty stricken life endured by so many children. Smitha started looking at problems from a global perspective, asking how can I help the kids living in India, when I am living in Arizona? To think globally this project works to help underprivileged children in India to gain access to clean and potable water. The project began in 2004 and has since organized 2 walk-a-thons where we had over 200 people walking and raised US $4,200 which was used to purchase a reverse osmosis treatment system to provide safe water for drinking to children living in the slums in India. Reverse osmosis system built for the children in the slums of India. Today, 3,150 kids in India are getting potable water from this project.

 

Preserving water environments in Japan

Hiroki Sato and Nozomi Onodera

 

Our local action works to preserve the wetlands near our homes and to inform people who live nearby. We have learned that informing others helps to increase concern for the environment. We work with a National Trust Campaign which involves high school students and have worked to construct a small channel to simulate the whole wetland environment which is visited by children and adults.