Advancing gender equality through water data.
The lack of sex disaggregated water data continues to mask how gender shapes access, decision making, and opportunities in the water field —an issue at the heart of this year’s World Water Day. Gender shapes how people interact with water every day. It determines who collects it, who manages it, who makes decisions about it, and who benefits from it. Yet, in many countries, these differences remain invisible—simply because the right data does not exist. The UN World Water Development Report 2026 “ Water for all people: Equal rights and opportunities ”- published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water - highlights that the global water crisis is aggravated by gender inequalities and the persistent lack of sex-disaggregated water data. Without data, it is more difficult for policymakers to fully understand how water issues affect different groups, slowing progress toward gender equality in the water sector. Fostering sex-disaggregated data collection and capacity development through internatio...