In Ghana and the Philippines – countries where more than half of the population is under the age of 25 – two programs are teaching youth to play a critical role in their families, health, and community development. On April 30, Leslie Mwinnyaa will discuss the innovative youth peer educator efforts of the Hen Mpoano Project in Ghana, and Joan Castro will describe EMPOWER, a new poverty reduction initiative targeting youth launched by Path Foundation Philippines, Inc.

Contrary to the deadly and deeply troubling situation in northern Nigeria and parts of the Middle Belt, ongoing insecurity, abductions, and politically-motivated violence in the oil-producing Niger Delta, a hotbed of unrest and instability just a few years ago, seems to be abating.

China’s soaring economy, fueled by an unyielding appetite for coal, is threatened by the country's steadily diminishing freshwater reserves. The United States faces similar water-energy confrontations—over millions of gallons of water are taken from ranchers to develop the deep oil and gas shale reserves of the west and there are battles between Georgia and Florida over diminishing drinking water reserves. Global Choke Point, though, is not necessarily a narrative of doom and gloom. The presentations will examine both the challenges and opportunities presented by these looming choke points.

Join us as we mark the Year of Water Cooperation with a discussion of tools, approaches, and mechanisms that advance global transboundary water cooperation. Over 260 watersheds are shared by two or more states, and 40 percent of the world’s population shares critical water supplies with another country. Although the world has largely avoided conflict over water, increasing population, economic, and climate change pressures could increase tensions over these shared resources making multi-country cooperation on water all the more essential.