Three Maltese students at World Parliament for Water in Quebec

Three Sixth Form students from De La Salle College - Elaine Pace Spadaro, Dorianne Abdilla and Daniel Agius - attended the World Youth Parliament in the French-speaking city of Quebec in Canada last November. They were accompanied by Mrs Glorian Agius, a teacher at the college.

The parliament is an international gathering of youths aged 14 to 17 under the aegis of the International Secretariat of Water. The raison d'être of these rather expensive assemblies is to arouse an international awareness on the conservation, protection and prudent use of one the most precious assets on our Earth - water.

Representations were made from 28 countries spread over the five continents, including big, influential countries like Russia and the USA alongside smaller countries like Palestine, Israel and Malta.

With the official languages being English, French and Spanish, and the Maltese students speaking Maltese, English, Italian, French and German, the hosts asked them to serve as interpreters to various other delegates.

Throughout the week, the world youths reflected on the issues related to water management by the end of which they came out with no fewer then 18 concrete proposals, including:

a) Access to water and sanitation as a fundamental human right;

b) Water governance; and

c) International solidarity on water management issues.

The youth participants representing seven regions in the world - Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Latin America, Africa, Asia, North America and the Middle East - had three main objectives:

a) Draft and adopt a vision for water management and the role youths can play;

b) Select seven representatives who will attend the World Assembly of Water Wisdom in Kyoto in March; and

c) Suggest alternative solidarity approaches.

Following close on the heels of the Kyoto meeting is the forthcoming Mediterranean Youth Parliament for water in April, scheduled to take place in Malta.

No doubt the media will cover the Malta convention with the same zest that the Canadian press covered the Quebec International Youth Parlia-ment.

And just as surely everyone in Malta, particularly those who are rightly concerned with new ideas on rainwater harvesting, waste water treatment, the dangers of water pollution and sea water purification, will anxiously follow the outcome of such international gatherings.

The youth parliament was sponsored by UNICEF, UNESCO, the Quebec Ministry of Environment and, in the case of the Malta delegation, APS Bank.

The Malta delegation would also like to acknowledge the invaluable assistance and advice of Joseph Mercieca and his team from the Water Services Corporation.

It is everyone's wish that these assemblies will help to improve quality and quantity of water for domestic and industrial use as well as heighten awareness in a healthier environment.