Subcommittee: Interactive Dialogue B: Water for Prosperity
Lead Partner: World Water Council
Target Milestone: 2026 UN Water Conference, Abu Dhabi
Publishing Entity: SHISUK (Shikkha Shastha Unnayan Karzakram)
Dhaka / Abu Dhabi — In a major breakthrough for grassroots youth diplomacy, Youth Leading Climate Action (YLCA) has been officially selected to join the Youth Organizing Committee (YOC) for the upcoming 2026 UN Water Conference, convened under the joint coordination of the United Nations Major Group for Children and Youth (UN MGCY) and the Global Youth Movement for Water (GYMW).
YLCA has been assigned to Interactive Dialogue B (ID B): Water for Prosperity, a core thematic track co-led by the World Water Council (WWC). Through this mandate, YLCA joins an international cohort of youth networks tasked with shaping policy positions, developing joint work plans, and driving regional priorities into the multilateral agenda ahead of the global water summit in Abu Dhabi.
Bridging Grassroots Realities with Multilateral Policy
As an initiative nurtured under SHISUK (Shikkha Shastha Unnayan Karzakram), YLCA’s induction into the UN MGCY & GYMW organizing architecture reflects the indispensable value of community-rooted adaptation models.
For decades, SHISUK has demonstrated how community enterprise, sustainable floodplain management, and agroecological stewardship can transform water bodies from zones of climate vulnerability into drivers of local economic prosperity. YLCA brings this lived experience of Bangladesh’s riverine deltas directly to the global drafting table.
“Water must be treated not merely as a survival commodity, but as the cornerstone of community wealth, ecological stability, and generational equity. YLCA’s role within Interactive Dialogue B will ensure that grassroots models of equitable water governance inform global policy at the 2026 UN Water Conference.”
The Mandate: Interactive Dialogue B (Water for Prosperity)
The Water for Prosperity subcommittee focuses on unpacking the nexus between sustainable water management, inclusive economic development, job creation, and climate resilience.
Working alongside co-leads Karishma Asoodani (World Water Council) and AbduRasheed, YLCA’s core contributions within the YOC include:
- Drafting Strategic Priorities: Formulating actionable thematic priorities that position water investments as central to rural livelihoods and youth employment.
- Youth Policy Integration: Ensuring that the perspectives of youth from the Global South—particularly deltaic and climate-vulnerable communities—are structurally embedded in the conference preparatory process.
- Cross-Regional Mobilization: Facilitating youth consultations, compiling evidence-based policy inputs, and monitoring commitments feeding into the final 2026 outcome documents.
- Multi-Stakeholder Engagement: Bridging grassroots community networks with international technical partners, financial institutions, and UN member states.
Immediate Next Steps and Timeline
YLCA has already initiated coordination with the World Water Council and fellow subcommittee members to finalize the 2026 YOC Workplan and Progress Tracker. Key near-term milestones include:
- Subcommittee Onboarding & Work Plan Alignment: Finalization of operational deliverables and division of tasks.
- National & Regional Consultations: Hosting youth-led water dialogues across Bangladesh to aggregate frontline evidence and case studies.
- Policy Position Papers: Delivering targeted inputs to the UN 2026 preparatory rounds on community-managed water systems, agroecology, and youth enterprise financing.
Connect and Follow the Track
SHISUK and YLCA invite partner organizations, youth researchers, and community activists to follow this journey and contribute field evidence to the Water for Prosperity track.
- Parent Organization: www.shisuk.org
- YLCA Portal: ylcabd.org
- Facebook Updates: facebook.com/ylcadhaka | facebook.com/www.shisuk.org
- Campaign Tags:
#Youth4Water#WaterForProsperity#UNWater2026#SHISUK#YLCA
