Watch video
Dear excellencies, colleagues, friends — fellow changemakers,
It is an honor to be here, with all of you, at this closing moment.
My name is Sara Dia, and I speak on behalf of the
Stronger Together! Coalition of Women’s Water Networks.
Water sustains life. It connects us all.
But water also mirrors our inequalities.
When water is scarce, when sanitation fails, when floods destroy — women and girls feel the impact first and
strongest.
And yet — women are not only bearing the burden.
We are leading solutions.
We are scientists. We are engineers. We are negotiators. We are community leaders.
We are shaping the future of water.
But here is the reality:
80% of jobs in water and WASH are still held by men.
Women face barriers at every career
step — and with every woman lost from the sector, we lose innovation, leadership, and progress.
And this is not only about young or early career professionals. Women drop out of our sector at every career
milestone.
WHO and UN-Water estimate that up to
60% of countries lack sufficient water and WASH experts. We cannot
reach SDG 6. We cannot secure water for all. Not without women.
So, how do we change this?
First, we must recognize:
inclusion is not a checkbox. It is a commitment.
And commitments require
investment.
The Gold Standard here at World Water Week has already transformed careers. Imagine if we scaled that
ambition — across countries, across regions, across generations.
The
Stronger Together! Coalition brings together eight networks, reaching more than 15,000 women worldwide.
And together, our message is clear:
only with a diverse workforce can we achieve a water-secure future.
So today, we ask you to join us in four commitments:
1. From barriers to bridges — invest in women’s participation, remove obstacles, open doors.
2. From attendance to co-leadership — enable women to co-create solutions, not just observe.
3. From tokenism to transformation — representation matters, but influence matters more. Track and
resource inclusion.
4. From exclusion to leaving no one behind — open stages to women from every region, every
profession.
Because inclusion is not charity.
It is strategy.
It is how we unlock the solutions we need — for water, for climate, for our shared future.
So as we head into the next water conferences, let us not just invite women.
Let us ensure they are shaping the agenda — equally, from beginning to end.
Because water connects us all.
And
when we work together, we are always — Stronger Together!
More info on the Stronger Together! Coalition: here
