Grundfos and IWA (The International Water Association) have entered a new partnership to mobilise 12 young water professionals from all corners of the globe, to actively participate in the UN 2023 Water Conference in New York. The key objective of this initiative is to build capacity among the young water professionals and help them get a voice at the table while the discussions on the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are happening.

“We are thrilled to partner with IWA to offer 12 young water professionals a unique opportunity and we are doing this because we need to think ahead and focus on the next generation, because they will inherit the world from us. The partnership gives them the possibility to meet and inspire world leaders, interact, learn, and network with other professionals,” says Grundfos Chief Operating Officer, Ulrik Gernow.

Besides participating in the UN 2023 Water Conference, the 12 young water professionals will also participate in a gathering at the Grundfos headquarter in Bjerringbro, Denmark, to present their key learnings from the water conference and engage in brainstorming sessions to support the co-development of a joint Grundfos-IWA publication.

A joint Grundfos-IWA publication will be launched in 2023, through this publication 12 young water professionals will be able to present the key learnings from the UN 2023 Water Conference and the follow-up actions.

“The publication will focus on how the water sector can maximise the benefits of integrating young professionals to achieve sustainable development and will give insights to the critical role young people have in the implementation of the 2030 Agenda,” adds Kala Vairavamoorthy, Executive Director at IWA.

The application period to join the Youth Action for SDG 6 initiative supported by Grundfos will open in late October / early November 2022 and applications must be submitted via the IWA website. More information will be available soon.

All financial support for the 12 young water professionals will be provided through this partnership.