The World Water Youth Forum (WWYF) on Wednesday called for collective action on water-related issues in the world.

The youth forum, held in the biggest Turkish city of Istanbul on the sidelines of the 5th World Water Forum, grouped some 200 young participants from 20 countries with the aim of addressing the world's water issues from the youth's perspective.

The forum, which emphasized the young people's role as future stakeholders of water, called for collective action of governments, local authorities and civic groups as well as individuals to protect and conserve the precious resource.

During the forum, the participants shared their own experiences through panel discussions, networking activities and workshops.

The youth forum urged the exchange of ideas, sharing and developing the mutual understanding in water-related issues.

The World Water Forum, the biggest water-related event in the world, is organized every three years by World Water Council together with the host country, to promote ideas about conserving, managing and supplying water.

The fifth edition of the forum, with the theme of "Bridging Divides for Water," was attended by 28,000 participants from all over the world, including governments, nongovernment groups, institutions and individuals.

(Xinhua News Agency March 19, 2009)