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Knowledge & Capacity Development Symposium: Empowering a New Generation
Strengthening capacity in water is a gamechanger for efforts to save the planet and its people, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Water, Retno L.P. Marsudi, said in a keynote speech at the opening of the 7th International Knowledge and Capacity Development Symposium, held at IHE Delft.
Knowledge & Capacity Development inclusivity track kicks off with an intergenerational roast
At the 7th International Symposium on Water and Capacity Development, the KCD inclusivity track kicked off with an intergenerational roast. The event provided an opportunity for young water professionals to challenge established experts. Through honest conversations about “brilliant failures,” power dynamics and impact on the ground, the event highlighted the need for intergenerational exchange and meaningful youth engagement. As the next generations create their own space in the water sector, the call for youth participation is growing louder.
Plenary Closure of the Knowledge and Capacity Symposium
After three days of debate and exchanges on empowering the next generation, the symposium concluded that the new generation includes anyone who is open to new ways of knowledge exchange. In the various session, delegates asked critical questions about the language and the terms used, about ethical donors, about North-South, South-South and South-North learning and about intergenerational exchange. Now it was the turn of the young water experts to take the stage and share their vision for a pathway forward. It is their task to compile the Delft Water Agenda 2.0. Bota Sharipova, IHE Delft PhD candidate, “If we are not sensitive to cultural, gender and other social imbalances, then we will perpetuate inequalities.”
Henk Ovink, Executive Director of the Global Commission on the Economics of Water, summarized what he had heard from the team of young IHE Delft water experts. He expressed how difficult it is when facing changes in the existing systems that are perpetuating the problems we are encountering today and in the future: "In the context of changing everything, it takes real courage," he said.
Investing in the future of water: rethinking capacity development at the Knowledge and Capacity Symposium
Empowering a new generation is not just about enabling young people to gain the knowledge and tools to address complex water challenges. It is about developing a mindset, whatever your age, that is open to change and ready to do things differently.
Young water professionals in focus at Knowledge and Capacity Symposium
The planet is facing a climate crisis and water is at the heart of solutions to that crisis. Often we look to technological solutions to resolve the environmental challenges we face. However, without the knowledge and capacity to understand, initiate and implement change, we cannot even begin to secure the planet’s water future. Capacity development among young people is essential. That’s why IHE Delft is highlighting the need to empower the new generation of water experts at its 2-4 July International Symposium on Knowledge and Capacity Knowledge and Capacity in the Water Sector.
Brilliant failures: reflections from renowned water experts
Knowledge on water is always expanding. It evolves as new data, experiences and alternative perspectives reshape how we understand water issues in different environmental, social, political or economic contexts. This is why activist-scholars caution against the use of conventional approaches touted as ‘best practices’, especially those rooted in Western understandings of water. Many of these practices have been lost in translation when implemented in contexts they were never designed for, often resulting in unintended failures—or even harm.
Climate activist Anita Soina calls for capacity development opportunities for youth
Young people need opportunities to develop capacity so that they can take part in decision-making and influence the policies that affect their lives, climate activist and community development advocate Anita Soina said in an interview.
KC Symposium photos
If you wish to see and download photos from the Knowledge and Capacity Symposium, please remember to credit IHE Delft. In the case of photos from the folder marked Marit Hazebroek, please make sure you credit her as the photographer.