“Education is the most powerful weapon that we can use to change the world” (Nelson Mandela). The ethical mission of our Network is to support water awareness education worldwide and change wrong perceptions, attitudes, and behaviors towards water - our most precious life-giving element.
In response to the global water crises, our Network was created in 2017 to federate worldwide water-related museums and heritage sites in the common endeavor to change the mindset of people on the illusory availability of unlimited quantities of water. All institutional members are committed to strengthening education and raising awareness of what our Charter defines as the urgent need to build a ‘new culture of water’.
Today, educational programs must emphasize more the urgent and no longer postponable need of establishing a new relationship between humanity and water. This is a crucial step to re-connect people with the tangible and intangible heritage related to water, including its social, cultural, ecological, artistic, and spiritual dimensions.
In 2018, WAMU-NET was acknowledged as a ‘flagship initiative’ of UNESCO-IHP (Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme) through the tailor-made Resolution n.XXIII-5 titled: “The Global Network of Water Museum and UNESCO-IHP in support of water sustainability education and water awareness efforts”.
Our efforts to promote further the educational activities of all our members focus on the annual Youth Contest and Award ‘The Water We Want’.
Every year we award schools and students worldwide and we organize a digital exhibition. The production of 22 professional videos allows you to explore further the messages developed by young people to promote and disseminate farseeing water uses.