As the primary users and managers of household water, women are profoundly affected by water scarcity and mismanagement. According to the 2023 UNICEF/WHO progress report on household drinking water, sanitation, and hygiene, they bear the burden of water collection in seven out of ten households, a daily task that is time-consuming and prevents girls from attending school and women from holding jobs. Safety and health are also critical concerns. Women face risks such as falls, animal attacks, and sexual violence while fetching water. Additionally, the lack of clean water impacts women during menstruation and childbirth.

Addressing these issues is essential for women and girls’ survival, wellbeing, and freedom. This is the right course of action. Yet, despite this clarity, gender equity remains unachieved globally, including in the Nile Basin. Beyond benefiting women, gender equity brings tangible advantages to entire communities, nations, and countries, contributing to stability, economic prosperity, and peace.

Equity should be present in higher decision-making levels, such as water governance. Inclusive decision-making guarantees a variety of viewpoints, resulting in more thorough and efficient policies. Achieving gender equity at all governance levels is not just a matter of justice but also a strategic necessity for a stable and prosperous future.

A striking example is Maria Mutagamba, who, as Uganda’s Minister of State for Water, developed five-year gender strategies for the water sector. These strategies promoted women to key positions on decision-making committees and integrated women’s concerns into the water and sanitation sectors. As a result, “access to safe water increased from 51 percent to 61 percent in just two years,” according to a 2018 article by the World Resources Institute.

As it stands now, however, despite the positive impact of having more women in decision-making positions, Nile Basin countries continue to see a significant gender gap in water governance. An article by the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI) titled Tapping our Potential: Women’s Water Leadership in the Nile Basin, published in 2019, highlights this gap, noting that only 15 percent of 65 surveyed countries had a gender policy in their water ministry, and only 35 percent included gender-specific considerations in their water policies.

In transboundary water governance, women face cultural and structural challenges. They face a battle on two fronts: overcoming the traditionally male-dominated worlds of water and peacebuilding.

According to the same study by SIWI, cultural norms often discourage women’s participation, with many societies viewing men as the primary decision-makers and diplomats. Women are frequently criticised for being aggressive when they assert their opinions and take charge in professional settings. This criticism stems from the cultural expectation that women should embody traditionally feminine values such as empathy and nurturing, which are often undervalued in leadership and decision-making.

Systemic discrimination is also a significant hurdle; educational disparities further exacerbate the issue, with girls often steered away from studying science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM), which are crucial for careers in water diplomacy. Additionally, workplace discrimination, including sexual harassment and lower wages, continues to impede women’s professional growth. Legal and institutional frameworks are also lacking, with national and international policies frequently omitting gender-specific provisions.

To tackle cultural and structural discrimination, a multifaceted approach is necessary. Engaging men to advocate for gender equality is crucial, as their support can help shift societal mindsets and demonstrate that gender equity is not solely a women’s issue. Supporting men to espouse empathy and nurturing as effective leadership qualities is also crucial. In the workplace, mandatory training on gender issues and robust anti-discrimination policies are essential to create a supportive environment for women. These policies should address issues such as sexual harassment and pregnancy discrimination, ensuring that women have realistic mechanisms for redress.

Policies and legal frameworks must also be developed to actively support women’s participation in water governance. This includes implementing affirmative action in educational opportunities to encourage girls to pursue higher education in STEM fields and ongoing professional development for educators to create gender-inclusive classrooms. Increasing the visibility of women in decision-making positions within water ministries and related institutions is a crucial step towards achieving this goal.

Organisations like the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) have made commendable efforts to ensure women are not left behind. By integrating gender within its core structures, policies, and programs, NBI aims to address the unique challenges women and girls face. The Women and Water Diplomacy Network, established in 2017 by SIWI and partners, exemplifies these efforts by empowering women in the Nile Basin and supporting their engagement in decision-making and peacebuilding.

Its success has inspired similar initiatives, such as the Network of Women in Water Management for Central Asia and Afghanistan, launched in 2021. In 2022, the Regional Nile Women Network (RNWN) was inaugurated in Kenya under the Nile Basin Discourse (NBD). This network enhances women’s participation in water resource management across all ten Nile Basin countries. Additionally, NBD has established ten Grassroots Women Networks designed and managed by women, ensuring that grassroots women’s voices are heard and that they play a significant role in water governance. Workshops and forums organised by these initiatives emphasise coalition-building, trust, and confidence over power struggles, fostering a collaborative environment where women can thrive.

These efforts, led mainly by women, represent significant progress, yet the journey towards gender equity in water governance is far from complete.

The Nile Council of Ministers (Nile-COM), part of the Nile Basin Initiative, comprises water ministers from basin states and is the initiative’s top decision-making body. According to a study titled Water Diplomacy: A Man’s World? published in the Journal of Hydrology X in August 2023, only three of the ten ministers of water represented in Nile-COM are women. This stark statistic highlights the long road ahead towards fair representation.

It is imperative to build on the current momentum and address the cultural and structural root causes of this limited representation on a basin-wide level. Ensuring women have an equal seat at the decision-making table will lead to more inclusive and effective water governance. The journey is challenging, but it is clear: gender equity in water governance has a ripple effect that can lead to prosperity and sustainability for the whole basin.