World Water Day 2026: Women at the source of water

ITTO joins the world in commemorating World Water Day through its commitment to champion gender empowerment and by honouring women’s invaluable contributions to ensuring that the world meets current and future water needs. © R. Indrovo/InWay

Water sustains all forms of life. From single-celled organisms to wildlife thriving in verdant rainforests or seeking refuge in patches of oases in the world’s most arid lands, from freshwater species in rivers and lakes to the diverse marine life that populate the Earth’s expansive seas, life organizes itself around the presence of water.

Human societies are no different. Our ancestors first settled along the banks of major water bodies not only for sustenance but also as a foundation of their political, economic, and social life. Rivers were transformed as transportation routes for mobility and commerce, their flow tamed for domestic use, farming, irrigation, and recreation. Coasts served as hubs for trade and cultural exchange, as well as springboards for maritime exploration and empire building.

Contemporary societies have continued to harness the power of water, from local water supply delivery to large-scale irrigation systems and from power generation to industrial use. Water demand is becoming acute, according to a recent United Nations University (UNU) report based on a study in the journal Water Resources. Inter alia, the report emphasis lies in the increasing strain on water supply and distribution.

When taps run dry 

Water, despite its seeming ubiquity, is still a finite resource. It is estimated that around a quarter of the world’s population still lacks access to clean, safe water. The disparity in water access is especially felt by upland and rural communities, where about 4 billion people experience severe water scarcity for at least one month a year.

The challenges that plague global water security have a gender dimension on the one hand, a disproportionate responsibility on the other. Women disproportionately bear the brunt of the impacts of limited supply and access to water. In rural, forest-dependent communities, for example, women play a major role in domestic water management, often charged with collecting water and allocating its use. Prolonged water shortages and deteriorating water quality take significant time away from more productive work and pose serious health risks to household members, perpetuating the vicious cycle of poverty.

Women constitute 43% of the global labour force in agriculture, which is considered the most water-intensive sector. Any disruption in water supply can likewise have economically devastating consequences for women and their livelihoods.  

On the other hand, the larger users of water are large industrial actors who consume large quantities of water needed for their processing industries, and very often, these sources are unreplenishable. The upgrading of the Global Water Standards is timely, in offering large industrial actors the opportunity to upgrade best practice and be more conscious of humanity's needs. 

At the confluence of two streams

The inseparable connection between water access and gender equality is the focus of World Water Day 2026. This year’s theme, “Where water flows, equality grows,” specifically highlights where two seemingly divergent currents – the perennial challenges of safe, sufficient water and gender equality – inevitably meet. It recognizes the importance of advancing the right to water and sanitation as a key mechanism to combat gender disparity and promote sustainable development.

At first glance, it might seem that this works only in one direction: that water access is necessary to ensure gender equality. But the reverse can also be true. Centering women in creating and implementing solutions to prevailing challenges will ensure inclusivity and uninterrupted water flows.

“Our experience on the ground and interactions with our stakeholders attest to the importance and effectiveness of involving women as key players in our quest for sustainable solutions,” said Sheam Satkuru, Executive Director of the International Tropical Timber Organization (ITTO), the first woman to hold this position. “Women taking on the mantle of leadership alongside men has undoubtedly invigorated our efforts to promote sustainable forest management, rural development and contribute to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).” 

Replenishing the spring, tackling the challenge at the source

While several factors drive water scarcity, such as overextraction, pollution, and climate change, it is ecological damage and degradation, especially in watersheds, which are the most critical cross-cutting concerns in water and forest conservation and management.

ITTO, over its four decades of active efforts, has consistently advocated for sustainable forest management and rural development in tandem with advancing initiatives and policies that foster greater participation and empowerment of women, in addition to men. And these efforts are paying off.

In Togo’s Blitta and Lacs prefectures, for instance, women are increasingly at the forefront of efforts to rehabilitate forests, becoming restoration leaders through the support of ITTO and Soka Gakkai.

By supporting women’s groups through gender empowerment as a vital component of forest landscape restoration, the initiative known as “Support for Women’s Group with the Restoration of Forest Landscapes in the Prefectures of Blitta and Lacs, Togo” has supported them in overcoming the limitations imposed by the lack of access to resources and technology and use their intimate knowledge of the environment to combat land degradation and improve livelihoods.

Women also take center stage in restoring forest landscapes in the Chimbo Water Basin in Ecuador, where one of the most pressing problems is the devaluation of wild agroforestry systems, landscapes, and vegetation as a crucial resource-base and livelihood source for local communities.

Women-led nurseries under the “Sustainable Forest Management in the Chimbo River Basin, Ecuador: Conserving Forest Resources and Agroforestry Systems as a Mechanism to Strengthen the Economic Inclusion of Community Families, Particularly Rural Women, Settled in the Area” conserve and diversify native timber and non-timber forest resources and improve livelihood through sustainable practices, strengthening women’s environmental stewardship role and community leadership.

In Veracruz, Mexico, another ITTO project highlighted the role of women in forest restoration efforts, this time not only by engaging them in establishing nurseries and other agroforestry systems but also by promoting Indigenous knowledge to build a strong case for ensuring forest health.

The project titled “Environmental Assessment and Economic Valuation of Ecosystem Services Provided by Coastal Forests (Mangrove Forests, Flood Forests, Rain Forests And Scrub Forests On Dunes) and their Agricultural Replacement Systems on the Central Coastal Plain of Veracruz, Mexico” engaged the women of Veracruz in crafting a manual of medicinal plants that aim to preserve traditional knowledge on the healing properties of various forest plant species. 

The work to ensure watershed health to sustain the continuous flow of ecosystem services, including water provisioning, is far from over. Recognizing this, ITTO sets its sights towards supporting future initiatives aligned with this goal.

An upcoming ITTO-supported project, for example, will be implemented in the Upper Salinas River Basin in Guatemala to protect and restore forest landscapes, enhancing water security and climate resilience in the area. The active participation of women will once again be a significant factor in the success of this undertaking.

Hope springs eternal

Women’s stories of leadership and perseverance across the globe, in the face of mounting challenges to water access and ecological health, refocus our attention from the usual cautionary tales and narratives of doom in water discourse to the celebration of hope and empowerment.

Given the requisite resources and knowledge, women occupy a critical space in ensuring safe water and sanitation at the household and community levels, especially in upland and rural areas.

“Our work spanning four decades teaches us an important lesson: that women, like the life-giving flow of water, can propel our efforts to ensure that our forests and water resources are conserved and sustainably managed,” Ms Satkuru said.

“More and more, we see women stepping up for their communities, lending their voices to support sustainable water solutions and refusing to accept the dire realities that they face in the midst of the global water crisis. The focus is more on recovery, which must be sustained.”

ITTO joins the world in commemorating World Water Day through its commitment to champion gender empowerment and by honouring women’s invaluable contributions to ensuring that the world meets current and future water needs. 

Only when the water flows uninterrupted can equality truly grow and prosper.