Meinke van Oenen has been selected as one of the 100 Youth Water Envoys of the Global Youth Water Envoys Program. She is one of eight Europeans and the only envoy from the Netherlands. That makes her the Dutch youth voice on the highest stage of international water diplomacy: the UN Water Conference in Abu Dhabi, from 8 to 10 December.
The envoys, selected from more than 2,200 applicants worldwide, will spend the coming weeks drafting a single joint youth vision on water. In December they will present it at the conference.
The program was launched in July 2026 at the United Nations High-Level Political Forum in New York, with the aim of giving young people a full voice at the table where decisions about water are made.
Far too little is being invested in water
Van Oenen, 22, is the founder of biotech startup Algaenius, which uses algae to remove salt from seawater while capturing COâ‚‚. She also studies Financial Law at Erasmus University Rotterdam.
Within the program she will focus on the theme "Investments for Water". 'Far too little is being invested in water,' she says. 'Drought costs the world hundreds of billions a year. Not investing in better infrastructure and innovation is therefore the most expensive choice.'
According to Van Oenen, a clear vision for the future is needed, backed by concrete investment plans. 'Otherwise, water will soon join nitrogen and electricity on the list of things locking up our economy.' She will take that message to the UN Water Conference, where ministers, heads of government and water experts from around the world come together to make agreements on clean water and sanitation for all.
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