Youth, Women, and the Future of Water Resources: CAREC at “Drops of the Future” in Vienna
Austria hosted the final event of the “Drops of the Future” series in Vienna on February 26-27, 2025. Organized by the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) in collaboration with Switzerland and the Austrian government, the event focused on the Water-Energy-Food (WEF) Nexus and aimed to engage young people, particularly young women, in addressing challenges related to water use, energy, and sustainable food production.
The event gathered young leaders, experts, and key stakeholders from Central Asia and beyond to discuss sustainable solutions for managing water, energy, and food resources through cooperation and consensus.
The concluding event took place on February 26 at Hofburg, where a briefing was held for OSCE participating States, followed by an exhibition and panel discussions at the River Lab at BOKU University.
“Trade-offs are becoming increasingly difficult. The role of continued negotiations and the striving for compromises is an essential key to managing trade-offs between water use, energy production and food security exacerbated by the mounting risks of climate change,” stated the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Ambassador Bakyt Dzhusupov at the opening session.
In a special virtual address Santeri Leinonen, Special Representative of the Finland Chairperson-in-Office on Youth, Peace and Security emphasized the “vital role of youth engagement in building trust and confidence within and across borders, ultimately contributing to greater stability, peace, and security across the OSCE region”.
The event featured two key panel discussions: “Empowering women and young voices from Central Asia: Advancing the WEF nexus for a sustainable future” featured inspiring contributions from young participants of the “Drops of the Future” workshop series from Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan – “A declaration for shaping the future approach to WEF nexus across Central Asia and beyond” focused on a long-term, visionary perspective developed by young people across Central Asia featuring young voices from Kazakhstan and Tajikistan.
The exhibition at BOKU River Lab University was open to a wide audience, including schoolchildren and students. Young participants of the exposition were showcased innovative solutions and best practices from Central Asia and other countries, aimed at efficient natural resource management in the context of global changes.
Фото: OSCE/Khalabuzar
Фото: OSCE/Khalabuzar
Photo: OSCE/Khalabuzar
Irina Yugay, CAREC Water Initiatives Support programme, shared CAREC’s insights on creating and facilitating cross-sectoral dialogue platforms during the panel discussion “The First Drop – How to Achieve the Dialogue We Want.” She emphasized that “common challenges require joint solutions achieved through open dialogue and cooperation.”
Photo: OSCE/Khalabuzar
Photo: OSCE/Khalabuzar
Photo:OSCE/Khalabuzar
On February 25, ahead of the main events, a meeting of the “Women in Water Resources Management in Central Asia and Afghanistan” network was held, organized by the OSCE, CAREC, and SIWI. With the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), discussions focused on the progress achieved by the Network and opportunities for further empowering women in the water sector of the region, including through the Blue Peace Central Asia initiative.
Photo:OSCE/Khalabuzar
Additional information:
Irina Yugay, Acting Programme Manager of the CAREC Water Initiatives Support programme, wisspecialist@carececo.org