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The Department of Water and Sanitation, through the Chief Directorate: IGR, Sector Transformation and Provincial Governance, is coordinating and facilitating Youth Development Mainstreaming in the sector. The Sub-Directorate: Youth Development is responsible for championing Youth Development initiatives within the water and sanitation sector. This component is tasked with intervention planning, stakeholder engagement and reporting on progress achieved by the sector in Youth Development. The Department of Water and Sanitation annually hosts the Youth Water and Sanitation Indaba in commemoration of the 1976 youth uprising, during National Youth Month (June). June has been declared and dedicated as youth month and every government department is expected to develop and implement programmes focusing on various aspects of youth development, including social and economic development. One such programme is the National Youth Indaba conference which includes the youth from different spheres of the Water and Sanitation Sector (Unemployed, Employed, Self-employed, and Young Professionals), who participate in the programme activities. The primary intention of the Department of Water and Sanitation is to seek and encourage engagements, technical expertise and knowledge sharing among the youth in the Water and Sanitation Sector with a view to improving institutional governance, performance, job creation, skills development, economic development, social cohesion and, ultimately, the youth contribution to service delivery to their communities. A key outcome of the 2022 National Youth Indaba Conference was the drafting and finalization of an Action Plan document, which was subsequently approved by the Minister. The 2023 Youth Indaba aims to implement the recommendations of the 2022 Indaba Conference. One key recommendation is the inclusion of the Youth within the Water and Sanitation Sectors as early as the planning phase of the conference. The 2023 Youth Indaba seeks to continue to encourage engagements, knowledge sharing and active participation of the youth in Water and Sanitation Sector activities. Furthermore, the conference will be used as an opportunity to launch the South African Young Water Professionals Network � the establishment of a sector-wide youth forum, as per the 2022 Youth Indaba recommendations.

National Youth Indaba Theme 2023

The Theme provided by the Cabinet and NYDA, is, "Accelerating Youth Economic Emancipation for a Sustainable Future" .

Themes Suggestions for the sessions by young water professionals within the sector:

• The role of Youth in Accelerating Change in the Water Sector.
• Youth in Action: Accelerating change in the water sector.
• The Future We Want: Accelerating change in the water sector.
• Milestone of the Youth Development Strategy and its Implementation Plans

Purpose and Expected Outcomes:

• To create a broader understanding of the Government's objectives and how they affect young people.
• To educate Youth about their role within the Water and Sanitation sector by reflecting on Governmental plans and activities.
• To highlight progress made by the Department and its related agencies in implementing the Youth Development Strategy.
• To provide a platform for discussions and constructive idea generation to address the challenges confronting the youth in the sector and how youth can take forward the baton of leadership.
• To highlight available opportunities for youth development and how youth can access them, we need to highlight the opportunities available to young people such as economic opportunities, skills development, training etc.
• To showcase and initiate partnerships with the private sector and civil society in youth development.
• To come up with a South African Young Water Professional Network Implementation Plan

Output

• Adoption of the work plan of the South African Young Water Professionals Network by DWS and the sector.
• Creating a working synergy between municipalities, CMA's, Water Boards, etc when responding to water and sanitation youth issues