Young Water Diplomats Programme: Building a water-secure future

The Young Water Diplomats programme, launched in 2022, aims to cultivate an interdisciplinary understanding of transboundary water challenges. It helps future leaders in water and environmental diplomacy learn about the tools necessary for effective water cooperation and diplomacy, while also, fostering a professional network. This year was the third round of the programme; over 50 young water diplomats have graduated to date. 

Participant Oliver Dumville, Senior Policy Advisor in the Canadian Section of the International Joint Commission (Canada-US) said: “The water diplomats programme was particularly helpful to understand different transboundary institutions and governance arrangements that exist around the world - How all countries come together to study and address the pressing water issues that they face.”

From January to June, the participants engaged in 11 online lectures delivered by water experts, covering a wide range of topics crucial to water diplomacy. The programme also included an in-person meeting in April in Almaty, Kazakhstan, where the participants took part in  the 6th Water and Peace Seminar, organized by IHE Delft within the Cross-regional learning for transformative water diplomacy (CroWD) project, supported by Water and Development Partnership Programme (WDPP). The seminar explored how different dimensions of large infrastructure projects in transboundary basins can lead to conflict or cooperation and how water diplomacy can influence such developments. The in-person meeting also featured a roleplay exercise on transboundary water cooperation.

Macarena Bahamondes, Head of the Environment and Shared Water Resources Unit at the National Department of State Borders and Boundaries of Chile, said she learned more than she had expected in the programme: “I learnt a lot about water diplomacy, and I didn't expect to learn as much about technical aspects and legal and all aspects of cooperation.”

Norest Ndawana, Deputy Legal Advisor of the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development in Zimbabwe, explained how the programme has grown his network, even landing him an invitation to join a session at World Water Week: “In the past six months, I have networked beyond the young water diplomats programme. In Almaty at the water and peace seminar, I networked with other experts from as far as America.”

The final phase of the programme saw the diplomats convene in the Netherlands for a two-day event at IHE Delft. Here, they presented and discussed their own research on critical subjects such as Water & Inclusivity, Water & Food Security, Transboundary Water Infrastructure, and Water in Fragile Contexts. They also travelled to the Terneuzen Locks, one of the largest lock complexes in the world, and visited the Maeslantkering, the largest moveable storm barrier in the world in South Holland (Maeslandt).

“The IHE Delft Young Water Diplomats programme is a step towards building a water-secure future. By helping young professionals develop the knowledge, skills and networks needed to address transboundary water issues, IHE Delft is fostering a new generation of leaders poised to tackle one of the world's most pressing challenges,” IHE Delft Rector Eddy Moors said.

Applications for the 2025 programme are expected to open in September – see Young Water Diplomats Programme