Youths represent more than half of the population of the southern shore of the Mediterranean and thus are extremely important in the development of the region. Within the context of the current water challenges in the Mediterranean region, young people are making a difference by adopting innovative solutions to water issues and raising awareness on issues related to climate change, water management and nature-based solutions for water issues in the region. This section of the population is an important agent for change, not as the next generation or future leaders, as they are often described, but as a generation currently and vitally active today and as effective contemporary leaders whose access to decision-makers and implementers can lead to further stability in the water sectors in the Mediterranean.

This policy brief first looks at water issues within the Mediterranean with a special focus on water as a human right. Subsequently, it maps the challenges faced by young water professionals and provides some insights into how the potential of young experts could be further boosted. The findings in this part are based on a survey conducted by the author among 20 young water professionals. The last part provides recommendations on ways to further improve young people’s access to water activism and water development in the Mediterranean, as well as to policy-making platforms in relation to water solutions.