UNESCO Amazon Water Resilience Challenge 2025

The Amazon Basin is home to some of the world’s most important ecosystems, supporting extraordinary biodiversity, regulating global climate systems, and sustaining the livelihoods of millions of people, including Indigenous and local communities. Yet the region faces increasing pressures from deforestation, ecosystem degradation, water insecurity, climate change, and unsustainable resource use. Addressing these interconnected challenges requires innovative approaches, stronger local stewardship, and meaningful participation from the next generation of leaders.

Building Youth Leadership for Amazon Resilience

Implemented by UNESCO with the support of LVMH, the Amazon Biosphere Reserves Project seeks to protect biodiversity, regenerate ecosystems, and strengthen sustainable livelihoods across Amazon biosphere reserves. Recognising that young people play a critical role in the long-term resilience of these ecosystems, the project actively promotes youth engagement, equipping future leaders with the knowledge, skills, and opportunities to contribute to conservation and sustainable development efforts across the region.

As part of this commitment, and in collaboration with UNESCO, The Water Agency is supporting the delivery of the UNESCO Amazon Water Resilience Challenge 2025, an initiative designed to empower young people and youth networks to take an active role in shaping a sustainable future for Amazon biosphere reserves. Through the programme, participants are guided and supported to develop innovative and original solutions to water-related challenges while strengthening their leadership, collaboration, and implementation skills through training, fieldwork, mentoring, and hands-on project development.

Through a combination of training workshops, field visits, expert mentoring, and team-based learning, participants gain a deeper understanding of local water challenges and the unique social and ecological dynamics of Amazon communities. The Challenge guides young leaders through the process of identifying issues, designing practical solutions, testing ideas, and ultimately implementing pilot projects that create tangible benefits for both people and ecosystems.

Programme Objectives

The programme is built around three key objectives. Firstly, it focuses on actionable results, supporting young people to design and implement solutions that address critical water-related challenges within Amazon biosphere reserves. Secondly, it promotes stakeholder engagement, connecting participants with local communities, government institutions, experts, and partner organisations to encourage collaboration and shared ownership of solutions. Lastly, it nurtures youth ambassadors for water resilience, empowering participants to advocate for sustainable water management and amplify their voices on regional and international platforms.

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