Youth Lead Asia-Pacific Agenda on Water Resilience

Youth leaders from across Asia and the Pacific took center stage at the 5th Asia and the Pacific Youth Symposium (APYS5), calling for urgent, inclusive action to address the region’s deepening water security challenges.

Organized by the Asian Development Bank (ADB), Plan International, and the Philippine Young Water Professionals, APYS5 convened alongside ADB’s Water and Urban Development Forum 2025 to advance youth-driven solutions in water governance.

The symposium aims to develop a regional Action Agenda to guide meaningful youth engagement in ADB water operations and infrastructure planning in both urban and rural areas.

Despite ongoing improvements, nearly 2 billion people in the Asia-Pacific still lack access to safe water and sanitation, with climate change, rapid urbanization, and industrial growth intensifying the strain on resources.

“We cannot build water resilience without youth leadership,” said Reena Ghelani, Chief Executive Officer of Plan International. “Young people across the region are already driving innovation and local action. Institutions have an opportunity—and a responsibility—to invest in sustained, youth- and community-led solutions.”

Ghelani stressed the links between water insecurity and social exclusion, particularly for girls and persons with disabilities.

“When access to water is limited, those excluded from decision-making suffer most,” she said. “In many rural communities, girls walk several kilometers daily to collect water, making them miss school and face physical and health risks.”

She added that infrastructure must also be inclusive: “For persons with disabilities, inadequate infrastructure and inaccessible services often result in systematic exclusion.”

Voices from the Philippines reinforced the urgency of youth inclusion, with participants from Metro Manila, Occidental Mindoro, Samar, Maguindanao, and Lanao del Sur calling for stronger roles in local water management and global policy forums.

“APYS5 gives young people like me a chance to speak up, share ideas, and be part of the conversation on real issues affecting our [communities],” said Jose, 25, from Occidental Mindoro.

Cielo, 17, from Northern Samar, stressed the impact of youth influence. “Even in the smallest and unnoticeable ways, we can help,” she said. “We may not have the power to do so as we are young, but we can be the ones who push and influence others.”

Delegates proposed youth-led innovation labs, water education programs integrated into school curricula, and the revival of traditional ecological knowledge.

They also pushed for systemic reforms—such as climate-resilient infrastructure, gender-responsive governance, and fair access to clean water amid worsening droughts and floods.

The recommendations will inform Plan International’s advocacy and WASH (Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene) programming across the Philippines.

“We are dedicated to translating these water resilience reforms into tangible change on the ground—through programs that strengthen inclusive WASH systems, empower children and youth, and elevate girls’ leadership in the Philippines,” said Pebbles Sanchez-Ogang, Executive Director of Plan International Pilipinas.

The youth-led agenda aims to ensure no one is left behind in building a water-secure and climate-resilient future.