More than 100 members of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network from around the world, together with the Network Support Team, summed up the results of the past year, discussed key achievements and outlined plans for 2025 at the annual Year-in-Review online event.
The Women in Water Diplomacy Network is an informal community of practitioners that brings together women experts from different river basins and regions around the world who have in-depth knowledge of water diplomacy and experience in decision-making in the field of transboundary water management. The Network's meetings also actively involve male champions who support the idea of gender equality in water resource management.
Network members work together to strengthen the role of women in decision-making in transboundary river basins in Central Asia, South Africa, North America and the South Caucasus, with the support of a global coalition of development partners.
Participants in the Network on Women in Water Management in Central Asia and Afghanistan, supported by OSCE Vienna, the Stockholm International Water Institute and RECCA, actively participated in the event, contributing to general and group discussions on the further development of network initiatives.
In particular, they discussed the creation of a new Global Leadership Council for the Network in 2025, which will also include representatives of the Central Asian Network and its coordination mechanism. They also discussed ways to accelerate research initiatives among Network members and sustainable fundraising to ensure sustainable development.
Global Network Coordinator Ms. Elizabeth A. Kosh, Manager of the Environmental Law Institute (USA), noted among the key achievements of the Network's activities the successful holding of the Global Women's Forum in Vienna, the active representation of the Network at major high-level international events such as World Water Week in Stockholm, African Water Week and the Dushanbe Water Process.
The creation of the new Women in Water Diplomacy in the South Caucasus Network and the initiation of joint sessions and informal inter-basin networking events within the framework of the COP29 Climate Summit in Baku were also major achievements.
The online event ‘Year-in-Review’ took place on 17 December 2024.
Additional information:
Irina Yugai - Acting Programme Manager, Support for Water Initiatives, RECCA, wisspecialist@carececo.org
