WaterRising Institute unveiled its first major program today, WaterWoman Project at World Water Week 2022 in Stockholm, Sweden. With support from WaterWoman Project Founding Partners SUEZ and Xylem, WaterRising held its first annual dinner at Fotografiska Stockholm to kick off the annual global water policy summit.
The room filled with applause when WaterRising announced a call-to-action to study the gender gap in water management to fill the data gap. The three-year study will survey water utilities and the water industry in the U.S., U.K. and Europe on workforce practices, programs and policies. From data and learnings, WaterWoman Project will iterate pilot programs with technology trials that promote gender-diverse recruitment, retention and advancement opportunities.
“We are in a water and workforce crisis that’s being made more urgent by the climate emergency, and water managers need to work more swiftly at being better stewards–which means being better at being gender-inclusive.”
Alicia Douglas, Founder and CEO, WaterRising Institute
The WaterWoman Project initiative will build on World Bank Water’s ongoing program that helps women in developing countries to get into the water workforce. Sharing his personal story of a mother who went to great lengths to fetch water for her family each morning, World Bank Water’s new Global Director issued a challenge to World Water Week stakeholders hosted by WaterWoman Project for the evening.
“We are very happy to be a part of this initiative, but I want action.”
Saroj Kumar Jha, Global Director of World Bank Water
