The Future of Water Jobs: Post Covid-19 Opportunities for Youth in the Mediterranean
10 December 2020, online. The Union for the Mediterranean promotes youth engagement and leadership in all sectors of social and economic development. This is why the UfM supports the upcoming online webinar on The Future of Water Jobs: Post Covid-19 Opportunities for Youth in the Mediterranean, organized by UfM- Water in close collaboration with the World Youth Parliament for Water and the International Water Resources Association in the framework of the Technical Assistance implemented by Greentech.
The Mediterranean region characterized by a large youth population. In particular, the MENA region is made up of 200 million young people (between the ages of 18-24 years). However, despite a large youthful population, unemployment rates of this age demographic are the highest they have been in nearly 25 years, reaching 30% in 2017.
The global pandemic we are living in today will leave a lasting impact on economies in the Mediterranean region and worldwide. One of these effects has been the growth of unemployment on one hand, yet the emergence of new kinds of jobs, on the other, due to the acceleration in the transition towards a more digitalized economy.
In this race of adaptation to the post pandemic world, and in relation to water issues, youth has the potential to play an instrumental role in leading efforts to address the complex water challenges of the future. This includes responding to shocks similar to COVID 19, in addition to implementing the highly interconnected 2030 Sustainable Development Goals.
In our online Webinar we will be addressing relevant aspects to the existing challenges youth faces in the Mediterranean, such as identifying opportunities for innovation and entrepreneurship in the water sector, outlining new jobs in the post COVID-19 water labour market and the skills necessary to be prepared for it, also with a view on the need for systems thinking in addressing the interconnected water challenges of the future.
