Youth Leaders Deliberate on River Governance at Silchar Workshop

A three-day ‘Youth Leaders for Rivers: Learning Workshop’ organized by the North-East Affected Area Development Society (NEADS), with support from the International Union for Conservation of Nature, concluded today at the Cachar Club Conference Hall, bringing together young leaders from different parts of the region to strengthen collaboration on river governance, water rights and community resilience.

The workshop, held from March 24th to 26th under the Youth Basin Ambassadors (YBA) initiative, aimed to connect youth working across the Ganges–Brahmaputra–Meghna Basin and enhance their understanding of river basin dynamics, governance challenges and community-led solutions. Participants included youth representatives from various parts of the region, along with NEADS team members, local partners, civil society representatives and resource persons from academia and river basin organizations.

Over the three days, participants engaged in thematic sessions focusing on legal rights of river-dependent communities, indigenous perspectives on river governance, civic engagement, participatory research tools and media narratives related to rivers. Interactive activities, including group exercises, debates and project design sessions, enabled youth leaders to refine basin-focused initiatives addressing local water challenges. A field visit to Rupaibali Oxbow further provided participants with first-hand exposure to community resilience practices and on-ground river governance issues.

Speaking on the occasion, Tirtha Prasad Saikia, Director of NEADS, said, ‘Young leaders have a critical role in shaping the future of our rivers. Through this workshop, we aimed to strengthen their understanding of river basin governance and empower them to work alongside communities for sustainable, inclusive and climate-resilient river management. Building a network of committed youth across regions will be key to protecting our river ecosystems and livelihoods.’

The workshop concluded with a closing session reflecting on key learnings and encouraging continued collaboration among youth leaders to strengthen river stewardship and community-led water governance initiatives across the basin. Parthankar Choudhury, Professor of Assam University delivered the concluding remarks to the participants by mentioning how development of youth leaders towards environment conservation is crucial in current times. Organizers emphasized that such platforms help nurture leadership, promote knowledge sharing and build sustained youth engagement for the protection of rivers and wetlands in the region.