FAO Liaison Office in New York

07/18/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 07/18/2025 10:01

HLPF 2025 Side Event “Solving Real-World Water Challenges through Empowering Student Innovation” Keynote Speech

HLPF 2025 Side Event "Solving Real-World Water Challenges through Empowering Student Innovation" Keynote Speech

Lorenzo Gentile,

18/07/2025

  • Youth leaders, esteemed colleagues: good morning and good afternoon to those joining from across the globe.
  • It is a great pleasure to be part of this session dedicated to exploring how youth can actively contribute to solving real-world water challenges.
  • This topic is closely aligned with the work of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), which plays a central role in addressing the interlinkages between water resources and agrifood systems.
  • As many of you may know, FAO also hosts the Global Framework on Water Scarcity in Agriculture (WASAG), a key platform that fosters collaboration and innovative solutions to address water scarcity in the context of agriculture and food security.
  • The future of agrifood systems cannot be shaped without addressing water challenges - and just as critically, without the full engagement of youth.
  • Youth must be at the center of the solution. As highlighted in the Status of Youth in Agrifood Systems 2025- FAO's most comprehensive, evidence-based analysis of youth in agrifood systems to date - engaging youth in agrifood systems is not only necessary, it is a strategic investment in global prosperity.
  • When I was asked to join this session, I started reflecting on the question guiding the panel discussion: How do we empower student water innovation?
  • Empowerment, especially youth empowerment, is a complex and multilayered concept on which I have been working for many years.
  • It begins by creating spaces where people can voice their priorities and it continues when we truly listen and take meaningful action in response.
  • This is exactly what we aim to achieve through our World Food Forum Global Youth Action Initiative, a platform we created in 2021 to support youth engagement and empowerment in agrifood systems, tapping into their potential and innovative spark.
  • And water is a key area of focus for the work we do at the WFF Youth Initiative.
  • Last October, during the World Food Forum's flagship event, which is held each year at FAO headquarters in Rome, we hosted the Rome Water Dialogue, a space for intergenerational exchange and collaborative discussion on water in agrifood systems.
  • Within this forum, the WFF Youth Assembly, our structured platform for youth engagement in agrifood systems governance and policymaking, presented the Youth Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture.
  • This Declaration represented a global call to action from young people, urging the international community to recognize water as a vital resource for life, agrifood systems and the future of our planet.
  • Acknowledging the pressures of a rapidly changing world, youth advocated for sustainable water and land management to safeguard ecosystems and protect vulnerable communities.
  • They also emphasized the importance of inclusive governance, capacity development and intergenerational collaboration.
  • Through the Declaration, they called on FAO Members and WASAG Partners to invest in youth-led solutions, ensure meaningful youth participation and foster cross-sectoral partnerships to address water scarcity in agriculture.
  • And, building on youth priorities and recommendations identified by the Youth Assembly last year, the focus for 2025 and beyond will be addressing water scarcity in agriculture through youth innovation, capacity development and knowledge exchange.
  • In response to this call, the World Food Forum Global Youth Action Initiative is acting upon the identified priorities.
  • As an example, we are currently developing a Youth Leadership Programme on Water Action - a programme that will support the leadership and technical skills of young FAO professionals on water-related management issues.
  • These skills will be developed through technical masterclasses, mentorship, and networking opportunities.
  • Participants will also gain hands-on experience developing an FAO proposal to be shared with senior management, and each participant will also engage on a global scale at selected conferences and events in 2026.
  • We also could not but acknowledge and act upon the request for equitable access to financial and technical resources to scale up youth innovations and pilot projects in sustainable agricultural water management.
  • In this regard, the work of the World Food Forum Youth Innovation Lab equips young innovators and entrepreneurs with the knowledge, networks and resources to develop and scale high-impact solutions.
  • The Transformative Research Challenge, our global competition for young researchers, features an annual award focused on water. This year, the spotlight is on Integrated Water Resources Management, aiming to empower young innovators to develop scalable solutions that tackle water scarcity while promoting environmental sustainability, social equity and economic resilience.
  • And through our annual Startup Innovation Awards, we have also established a dedicated prize on Water Security, designed to identify and scale youth-led startups that are advancing innovative technologies and practices for sustainable water management.
  • Beyond competitions, our commitment to amplifying youth priorities continues with both medium- and long-term objectives.
  • Building on last year's Youth Declaration on Water Scarcity in Agriculture, consultations are ongoing. In 2025, through the Youth Assembly, young people are actively participating in capacity development sessions with FAO technical experts and engaging in a second round of consultations to shape updated recommendations.
  • These efforts aim to elevate youth perspectives in the lead-up to key global events- including the 3rd WASAG International Forum, the 2026 UN Water Conference and the 2027 World Water Forum.
  • This sustained engagement is a powerful reminder: empowering youth means not only listening to them-but working with them, and creating frameworks that enable them to lead.
  • So, when we ask: How do we empower student water innovation? My response is simple-by taking their priorities seriously, by fostering a multistakeholder ecosystem that champions their ideas, and by providing them the tools and platforms they need to create impact.
  • Because youth are not just the leaders of tomorrow-they are leaders today.
  • You are already leading, already sparking change. Youth are not only beneficiaries of development-they are creators of scalable, innovative solutions that are shaping a more sustainable future.
  • It is imperative that we shift the narrative.
  • To all the young people here in the room and joining us online: your voices and ideas are not just important-they are indispensable.
  • Thank you for the kind invitation. I look forward to today's dialogue on how we can, and must, empower student-driven water innovation-and, in particular, how education can serve as a powerful catalyst for unlocking youth leadership in this critical space.
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