Global water crisis aggravated by gender inequalities according to new UN Report

PRESS RELEASE   Global water crisis aggravated by gender inequalities according to new UN Report   Paris/New York March 19, 2026 - Despite decades of progress, inequalities continue to compromise global water security, disproportionally impacting women and girls, who despite of being the main collectors of water, continue to be excluded from water management and leadership roles.   This is the conclusion of the United Nations World Water Development Report, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water. The report reveals that women are responsible for collecting water in over 70% of unserved rural households.   "Ensuring women's participation in water management and governance is a key driver for progress and sustainable development. We must step up efforts to safeguard women and girls' access to water. This is not only a basic right, when women have equal access to water, everyone benefits," said Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO's Director General. "It is time to fully recognize the central role of women and girls in water solutions – as users, leaders and professionals. We need women and men to manage water side by side as a common good that benefits the whole of society," said Alvaro Lario, President of the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD), and Chair of UN-Water. The United Nations World Water Development Report is released annually in the context of World Water Day. This year's report, Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, warns that 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water, with women and girls bearing the heaviest burden. Women and girls are most often responsible for collecting and managing water for their households, exposing them to physical strain, lost education and livelihoods, health risks, and heightened vulnerability to gender-based violence — particularly where services are unsafe or unreliable. Please visit UNESCO's Media Corner where you will find the report, the executive summary, a factsheet and a list of specialists to interview. Link to the report Key findings Globally, women and girls spend a total of 250 million hours every day collecting water, time that could otherwise be spent on education, leisure, or income-generating activities. Girls under 15 (7%) are more likely than boys under 15 (4%) to fetch water. Poor sanitation facilities disproportionately affect women and girls, especially in urban slums and rural areas. Lack of toilets and water for menstrual hygiene leads to shame and absenteeism: an estimated 10 million adolescent girls (15–19), across 41 countries, missed school, work, or social activities between 2016 and 2022. Despite their central role in household water provision, agriculture, ecosystem stewardship, and community resilience, women remain systematically underrepresented in water governance, financing, utilities, and decision-making. Despite numerous gender equality declarations and policies, progress towards equal access to water and sanitation, and women's participation in water management, remain insufficient due to weak integration into operational plans. Gender inequalities in land and property ownership directly impact women's access to water. Water rights are often linked to land rights, directly impacting the availability of water for productive uses such as farming. Land tenure-related laws and regulations that discriminate against women leave them at social and economic disadvantages. In some countries, men have ownership over twice the amount of land than women. Women remain under-represented in water management and governance, available data from 64 utilities in 28 low- and middle-income countries indicated that fewer than one in five water workers were women, and they were paid less than their male counterparts (World Bank, 2019). In 2021/2022, women held fewer than half of WASH positions in government jobs in 79 of 109 responding countries and fewer than 10% in almost a quarter of responding countries (WHO,2022).    Gender inequality in times of crisis   Climate change, water scarcity and hydro-meteorological disasters are exacerbating existing gender inequalities, particularly in water-stressed and disaster-prone contexts. Gender remains a key determinant of vulnerability, shaping exposure to risk as well as access to early-warning systems, recovery support and long-term livelihood security. Evidence shows that climate change disproportionately affects women: a 1°C rise in temperature reduces incomes in female-headed households by 34% more than in male-headed households, while women's weekly labour hours increase by an average of 55 minutes relative to men.   A call to bridge the gender gaps in water access and leadership The report provides concrete recommendations to drive meaningful progress, including: Removing legal, institutional and financial barriers to women's equal rights to water, land and services Scaling up gender‑responsive financing and budgeting, with strong accountability mechanisms Investing in sex‑disaggregated water data to expose inequalities and guide policy Valuing unpaid water‑related labour in planning, pricing and investment decisions Strengthening women's leadership and technical capacity, particularly in scientific and technical fields of water governance Moving beyond "low‑cost" solutions that rely on unpaid labour and exacerbate inequality.   About UNESCO's work to advance gender equality in water   Aligned to its Gender Equality Priority, UNESCO devotes effort to improve women's participation in water resource management, governance and sciences across the world. Our World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP): develops tools and guidance to help integrate gender-equality considerations into water policies and practices. The WWAP Toolkit on Water and Gender is the cornerstone resource and a global reference to support decision makers and practitioners worldwide. It contains over 100 gender-responsive indicators, guidelines for their application and use, and nearly 400 ready-to-use questions to support data collection and analysis; fundraises and implements field projects in diverse regions of the world directly impacting communities and promoting water co-operation; has trained over 1000 water practitioners in 35 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, the Pacific Small Island Developing States, West Africa and Southeast Asia expanding capacities in inclusive water management; targets government leaders and decision-makers, water practitioners, academia and general audiences, relying on a multi-donor approach and combining financial mechanisms and voluntary contributions from a range of partners; and leads wide-scale advocacy efforts, supports efforts and mobilizes concrete gender equality action that help transform societies.   About UN-Water's work to advance water and gender equality UN-Water is the United Nations' coordination mechanism for water and sanitation, comprised of 36 Members (UN entities) and 52 international Partners. UN-Water supports United Nations system-wide efforts to advance gender equality in water and sanitation by promoting coordinated action, shared evidence and joint advocacy across its Members and Partners. Through global campaigns such as World Water Day, analytical work including the United Nations World Water Development Report, and implementation of the UN System-wide Strategy for Water and Sanitation, UN-Water helps integrate gender perspectives into water policies, programmes and financing discussions.   Press contacts UNESCO : Clare O'HAGAN, c.o-hagan@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 29 UNESCO : François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46 UN WATER : Felicia Vacarelu , felicia.vacarelu@unwater.org   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

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Hybrid Seminar on Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for Top Journals: Opportunities and Future Ahead | 18 March at 3pm IST

Seminar on Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for Top Journals: Opportunities and Future Ahead on 18 March 2026 at 3:00 pm IST 

Greetings!

As part of its initiative to promote dissemination of knowledge for the benefit of academics, the Centre for Software and IT Management (CSTIM) at IIM Bangalore, will host a Seminar on 'Theorizing the Indian Phenomenon for top Journals: Opportunities and future ahead' on 18 March 2026. Dr. Anandasivam Gopal, President's Chair of Innovation and Information Systems and Head of Division, Information Technology and Operations Management (ITOM) Nanyang Business School, NTU, Singapore will be the speaker. The seminar will last 1 hour and 30 minutes starting at 3:00 pm IST on 18 Mar 2026 and will be followed by refreshments for in-person participants. Remote participants can join via zoom link. The flyer with links for registration is attached. For any questions, please write to csitm[@]iimb.ac.in. Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/centre-for-software-it-management/

 

Best regards,
Team CSITM
Centre for Software and IT Management
Indian Institute of Management Bangalore
Email: csitm[@]iimb.ac.in

RRC Academic Lectures cum Discussions | Gandhi Peace Foundation, ITO, New Delhi, 17 March at 3.00 pm

RRC Academic Lectures cum Discussions

Date & Time: Tuesday, 17 March 2026 at 3 pm.

Venue: Auditorium, Gandhi Peace Foundation, 

221 Deen Dayal Upadhyay Marg, Near ITO, New Delhi 110002

Entry is free. Registration not required.

Regards,

Dr. Nirmal Kumar Khatri 

Convenor, RRC Programs Committee 

Mob: 9910613694

Just Released "The Hoover Annual Survey of India 2026", edited by Šumit Ganguly

The Hoover Annual Survey of India 2026/ edited by Šumit Ganguly, 2026,  Hoover Institution. Download.

About: The Hoover Institution's Annual Survey of India provides a detailed examination of the country's current landscape, focusing on political, economic, social, and environmental challenges.

Table of Contents

• Introduction | Šumit Ganguly
• Indian Politics in 2025 | Eswaran Sridharan
• India's Economy: Inside and Out | Nirvikar Singh
• India's Foreign Policy amid Global Unpredictability | Ian Hall
• Tactical Successes and Strategic Challenges in Indian Defense Policy | Arzan Tarapore
• Education in India: At the Crossroads | Rishikesha T. Krishnan and Shreyas Ramkumar
• India's March to Universal Health Coverage | Azad Singh Bali
• India Environment: The Challenge of the Balance | Shreekant Gupta
• Science, Technology, and Innovation Policies for Development: India's Contemporary Challenges | Venni V. Krishna

ISID-ICSSR Two-week Capacity Building Programme on Industrial Transformation: Prospects and Challenges | 4–16 May, New Delhi

Dear Scholar, 

 

Greetings!

 

The Institute for Studies in Industrial Development (ISID), New Delhi invites applications for a two-week Capacity Building Programme, being organised with support from Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR), focused on the theme "Industrial Transformation: Prospects and Challenges" to be conducted physically during 04–16 May 2026 at ISID, New Delhi.

 

The programme aims to enhance knowledge and research capabilities of the young social science faculties/teachers in industrial development and policy research. The curriculum includes lectures by eminent experts on topics like industrialisation, structural change, MSMEs, competitiveness, R&D, innovation, industry 4.0, e-commerce, and green industrialisation as well as technical sessions on data analytics, geographic information system, industrial databases, and academic writing. 

 

Last date for receiving applications is March 20, 2026. 

 

For further details, interested faculty/researchers may visit the Capacity Building Programme URL & register online https://forms.gle/PjMiv83xmd69J15c9.

 

The flyer & EPW advertisement (issued on February 28, 2026 Vol lXI No 9, Pg 15) may be reviewed.

 

 

Regards 

 

Dr Satyaki Roy, Associate Professor, ISID

Dr Sangeeta Ghosh, Assistant Professor, ISID

(Programme Coordinators)

Press Invitation - World Water Development Report 2026: Online Press Briefing

PRESS INVITATION   World Water Development Report 2026: Online Press Briefing   The new UN World Water Development report, to be published on March 19, warns that persistent gender inequalities in access to water and leadership are exacerbating the global water crisis: 2.1 billion people still lack safely managed drinking water billions still lack basic water and sanitation The latest data shows that women and girls are still largely responsible for collecting water in most unserved rural households, with impacts ranging from lost education, to health risks and heightened vulnerability to violence. They also remain underrepresented in water governance despite their central role in water provision and resilience.   The report, Water for All People: Equal Rights and Opportunities, published by UNESCO on behalf of UN-Water, highlights that women bear the brunt of poor sanitation, which impacts their menstrual health. It calls for removing legal and financial barriers, investing in gender responsive data and financing, valuing unpaid labour, and strengthening women's leadership across the water sector.   UNESCO's experts will present the key findings and data from the report, which will be under embargo until March 19. The report will be published to coincide with World Water Day commemorations. An event will take place the same day at the UN headquarters in New York, which is open to the press.    After the press briefing, journalists will be able to access UNESCO's press corner where the embargoed report, the executive summary, a factsheet, and the embargoed press release will be available, will go live.     What? Online Press Briefing on Zoom When? 15.00 CET on Tuesday 10 March Who? Abou Amani, UNESCO Director of Water Services and Laura Veronica Imburgia, Senior Water and Gender Program Specialist at UNESCO World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) Press Accreditation: Please register here to attend the press briefing   The press briefing will be conducted in English; journalists can pose questions in either English or French.   Press contacts Clare O'HAGAN, c.o-hagan@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 17 29 François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

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CfPs: Public Policy Dialogues 2026 | ISB Hyderabad, 20–22 March

The Bharti Institute of Public Policy (BIPP), Indian School of Business, warmly invites you to participate in the Public Policy Dialogues 2026 (PPD 2026), scheduled for March 20–22, 2026, at the ISB Hyderabad campus.

This year's theme — "Food Systems: Moving Beyond Linear Thinking" — reflects a defining moment in India's development journey. Our food system has ensured production gains and strengthened food security for decades. Yet rising fiscal burdens, environmental stress, and climate volatility now compel us to rethink its architecture.

We must move beyond siloed approaches and engage with food systems as complex, adaptive, and deeply interconnected — where Policy, Markets, and Culture operate in alignment, and where Technology, Gender, Climate, and Geopolitics shape long-term resilience.

PPD 2026 will bring together leading policymakers, researchers, practitioners, industry leaders, and civil society voices to advance a systems-oriented, forward-looking policy agenda.

We invite you to:

• Register to attend the three-day dialogue
• Submit to the Research Poster Showcase
• Present at the Innovation Sandbox
• Propose a Panel Discussion
• Propose a Roundtable
• Propose an Agri-tech Startup Showcase

Selected participants for the Research Showcase and Innovation Sandbox will receive structured design and technical guidance from the BIPP research team ahead of the event.

Please find the conference brochure attached for detailed information on participation formats and other details.

We look forward to welcoming you to PPD 2026 and to engaging in thoughtful, evidence-informed dialogue on the future of India's food systems.

With regards,

Organising Team

Public Policy Dialogues 2026

Call for Papers | ETD 2026 : ETDs in the Age of AI | 23-25 October | IIT Delhi, India

---------- Forwarded message ---------

ETD 2026: 29th International Symposium on Electronic Theses and Dissertations

Theme: "ETDs in the Age of AI"

October 23-25, 2026 | IIT Delhi, India

Dear All,

ETD 2026 invites scholars, researchers, library professionals, repository managers, technologists, publishers, and policymakers to submit original contributions to this premier global forum dedicated to Electronic Theses and Dissertations (ETDs).

We welcome research papers, case studies, and practice-based insights that advance understanding of AI-enabled transformation within the global ETD ecosystem.

The theme of the conference is "ETDs in the Age of AI."

For submission guidelines and further details, please visit: https://etd2026.iitd.ac.in

--
Thanks and regards,

Nabi Hasan, PhD, PDF, FNEB, FSLA
Head Librarian, Central Library
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi-110016
Phone: +91-11-26591451
Website:  https://web.iitd.ac.in/~hasan
Email: hasan[@]library.iitd.ac.in  hodlibrary[@]admin.iitd.ac.in
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@NabiHasan
This email may have been sent outside working hours; please respond at your convenience.

CISLS, JNU organizes 10 Days Research Methodology Course for Research Scholars in Social Sciences

Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies (CISLS), 
School of Social Sciences, 
Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi

 

Ten Days Research Methodology Course for
Research Scholars in Social Sciences

 

20th to 29th April, 2026

Call for Application

Centre for Informal Sector and Labour Studies (CISLS), School of Social Sciences, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi invites applications from the enrolled Research Scholars belonging to in Social Science disciplines from the UGC recognised university/deemed university/colleges/institutes of national importance and ICSSR research institutes to participate in "Ten Days Research Methodology Course for Research Scholars in Social Sciences"
from 20th to 29th April, 2026. 

The course aims to improve the methodological and writing skills of the Research scholars and develop their potential as future academicians in the field of Social Sciences. Candidates desirous may apply on the prescribed registration form available at http://www.jnu.ac.in/jnuevents and submit the form with other details by filling the Google form at https://forms.gle/vXGv3cXqX5sUqsms8 by March 20, 2026.

JNU celebrating National Science Day on 28th February at 11:00 AM

Jawaharlal Nehru University

Special Centre for Molecular Medicine 

JNU celebrating the National Science Day

28th February 2026 |  11:00 AM onwards

Venue: SCMM Seminar Room, JNU

Chief Guest and Speaker:  Prof. T. P. Singh, SERB Distinguished Fellow, Department of Biophysics, AIIMS, New Delhi

Topic: Empowering the innate immunity factors to fight fiercely against the invading microbes

UNESCO report: Major blind spot in ocean carbon research could undermine global climate predictions

PRESS RELEASE   UNESCO report: Major blind spot in ocean carbon research could undermine global climate predictions   Paris, 23 February 2026 – A new report by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO reveals a critical lack of understanding of how the ocean absorbs and stores carbon. This glaring uncertainty about our planet's largest carbon sink threatens to skew current climate predictions, and hamper our ability to develop effective mitigation and adaptation strategies in the coming decades. The report also lays out a roadmap to bolster international cooperation, strengthen ocean carbon monitoring and update climate models accordingly. Click here to view the full report. "The ocean is one of our strongest climate allies, absorbing a large share of the carbon we emit. Yet we still lack a full understanding of how this natural defense functions - or how long it can endure. Coordinated global monitoring of ocean carbon absorption is therefore essential and urgent. This report reaffirms UNESCO's commitment to supporting Member States in developing climate policies based on robust science to advance this goal," said Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Director-General.   The ocean is storing around 25% of global CO₂ emissions. But according to the new report coordinated by the IOC of UNESCO, major blind spots remain in our scientific understanding of this process, with variations large enough to considerably affect how governments plan climate mitigation and adaptation strategies.   Climate models built on incomplete data The Integrated Ocean Carbon Research Report finds that scientific models differ widely in estimating how much carbon the ocean absorbs, with discrepancies of 10-20% globally and even greater in certain regions.   These differences stem from limited availability of long-term data, and gaps in understanding how key processes respond to climate change. This means quantifying how changes in ocean warming and circulation affect carbon uptake, how shifts in plankton and microbial life influence long-term storage, and how coastal and polar regions exchange carbon with the atmosphere. Industrial activities today, and the risks associated with climate engineering in the future may also alter the ocean's natural ability to absorb carbon.   Major implications for climate targets and adaptation All of this indicates that we are making climate decisions without knowing how the ocean will behave. If the ocean absorbs less carbon in the future, more CO₂ will remain in the atmosphere and accelerate global warming. This would have a direct impact on future emissions targets and national climate plans. Greater uncertainty in ocean carbon uptake also complicates adaptation planning, especially for coastal communities already vulnerable to storms, sea-level rise and warming waters. Decisions about potential carbon removal strategies and ocean-based climate interventions must also be grounded in more robust scientific evidence.   From uncertainty to action Prepared by 72 authors across 23 countries, the Integrated Ocean Carbon Research Report offers the most comprehensive synthesis to date of the uncertainties affecting our ocean carbon sink estimates. Beyond identifying research needs, the report also lays out a coordinated roadmap to strengthen monitoring, modelling and international cooperation so that ocean carbon science can more directly inform climate policy. To close these knowledge gaps, the report calls for a global ocean carbon observing system, combining satellites, autonomous platforms and sustained measurements from the surface to the deep ocean – while improved ocean and climate modelling should also include stronger capacity development in under-represented regions to ensure truly global monitoring coverage. Reducing carbon emissions remains the only long-term solution to protect the ocean and the climate. But without a clearer understanding of how the ocean carbon sink is changing, global mitigation and adaptation strategies risk being built on incomplete information. Since the start of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030), more than 500 projects have been launched worldwide, and over one billion dollars have been mobilized to advance ocean knowledge and transform it into measurable action. From strengthening global ocean observing systems and advancing seabed mapping to improving early warning for coastal hazards and supporting ecosystem-based climate solutions, IOC of UNESCO is helping build the scientific foundations required to protect ocean biodiversity and enhance climate resilience worldwide.   Learn more Full report: Integrated Ocean Carbon Research: a vision primed for implementation Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO About UNESCO   With 194 Member States, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization contributes to peace and security by leading multilateral cooperation on education, science, culture, communication and information. Headquartered in Paris, UNESCO has offices in 54 countries and employs over 2300 people. UNESCO oversees more than 2000 World Heritage sites, Biosphere Reserves and Global Geoparks; networks of Creative, Learning, Inclusive and Sustainable Cities; and over 13 000 associated schools, university chairs, training and research institutions, with a global network of 200 National Commissions. Its Director-General is Khaled El-Enany.   "Since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defenses of peace must be constructed" – UNESCO Constitution, 1945.   More information: www.unesco.org   Press contact François WIBAUX, f.wibaux@unesco.org, +33 (0) 1 45 68 07 46   UNESCO Newsroom All our press releases   Social media

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