Women Making Waves: Challenges, Innovations and Opportunities for Advancing Sustainable and Inclusive Water Management

Water is life. Yet, for millions of women and girls worldwide, having access to clean, safe, and sustainable water is a daily struggle. This reality was at the heart of some of the most compelling discussions at the 70th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women, where I was honored to represent UNA-USA Kentucky Division.

As a delegate, I went into CSW70 knowing that water is not simply a pressing issue for our planet, it is a pressing issue for women. Women and girls carry the burden of water insecurity disproportionately worldwide. They walk miles for it, they fight for it, and they suffer when it is gone. Yet, they are grossly underrepresented in decision-making spaces that shape their infrastructure.

The sessions on sustainable and inclusive water management were both sobering and inspiring. Innovators, policymakers, and grassroots leaders from across the globe presented transformative ideas and approaches on sustainable and inclusive water management in various parts of the world, ranging from community-based water governance in West Africa to technological innovations in South Asia. It is now well established that when the position and agency of women in water management are central and integral, the entire community benefits and thrives.

One of the most impactful moments of the CSW70 for me was being part of a parallel event on the rising issue of sextortion. The pursuit of justice and rights for women must include the online world as well.

Another impactful experience for me was being part of the side event on ‘No One Left Behind’ organized by Smile Foundation. This event reaffirmed the message that the pursuit of sustainable water management and access to justice has to include all women in all communities and societies especially the most vulnerable and marginalized among us. My experience of being part of the UNA-USA delegation at the CSW70 has only reaffirmed my conviction that the pursuit of water justice is the pursuit of gender justice. While the challenge is formidable, so is the ingenuity and the desire to get things right. No woman should be left behind, and no community should be denied access to water because the two are inextricably linked.

Patience Edziah, CEO Pateli Health Aid Missions (PAHAM)