World Water Day

  The Arab region is one of the most water-scarce regions globally, with 19 out of 22 Arab states meeting official definitions of water scarcity and 13 states meeting definitions of absolute water scarcity. Additional crises can exacerbate the water challenge in the region, including climate change, conflict, and socioeconomic and political upheaval. In 2017, the Regional Initiative for the Assessment of Climate Change Impacts on Water Resources and SocioEconomic Vulnerability in the Arab Region projected the duration and frequency of droughts in the region would increase. Women and girls frequently disproportionately shoulder the burden of these impacts because they may be vulnerable community members burdened by traditional gender roles. It has been estimated that 15% of schools in the Arab region have limited or no access to water, while 18% have limited or no access to basic sanitation services. In times of water scarcity or when WASH infrastructure is unavailable or insufficie...

 In Europe, water is deeply embedded in the social, economic and institutional fabric of daily life. Safe, reliable and affordable access to water underpins human well-being and sustainable development. Significant infrastructure advances have provided many people in Europe with household water and sanitation access. However, gender disparities persist, particularly in decision-making, labour responsibilities, climate risk exposure and recognition in governance and knowledge systems. European water governance has developed under frameworks such as the European Union Water Framework Directive and the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. However, gender equality remains under-integrated in many national- and basin-level water strategies. Formal representation alone has not yielded substantive influence for women, particularly those from rural areas or minority backgrounds. Intersectional factors further shape this limited influence. For example, socio-economic stat...

  Water is essential for domestic and caregiving tasks. In Latin America and the Caribbean, these responsibilities fall predominantly on women, and are typically unpaid and unrecognized. Despite global and regional commitments to gender equality and sustainable development, water governance in the region continues to reflect deep structural inequalities. Women and girls – particularly in rural, Indigenous and low-income communities – bear a disproportionate burden of water-related responsibilities , which can restrict their access to education, employment and leadership opportunities. In 2014, in Panama, 63% of the households with the lowest incomes relied on women to fetch water, compared to only 30% in the wealthiest households. In addition, the lack of adequate sanitation facilities can expose women and girls to health risks and violence, including physical and sexual assaults when they travel long distances to collect water. In the region, 25% of schools lack basic drinking w...

  The Asia–Pacific region is home to 4.7 billion people, or around 60% of the world’s population. It exhibits significant cultural, socioeconomic and environmental diversity, which shapes how people access, manage and benefit from natural resources, including water. Although gender dynamics vary across contexts, women and girls play a vital role in managing domestic and productivewater resources . Yet they face gender-specific water challenges across the region. These include: limited and unequal access; risks to health, safety, education, and economic and livelihood opportunities; under-representation in water governance ; and increasing threats from climate change. Highlighting such interlinkages is key, as the region is not on track to achieve any of the SDGs by 2030.  A gender-responsive water future for the region could be achieved through a transformative approach that includes bottom-up and top-down policy processes to mainstream gender in policy-making, and to shift m...