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The Women and Rivers Congresses bring together women leaders from riverine and Indigenous communities, civil society, academia, and policymakers to discuss water, energy, and climate change challenges that are faced in transboundary river basins that flow across their regions. Participants share their experiences and knowledge, and plan collaborative strategies for women-led river protection campaigns and responses to the challenges they face.
Stay tuned or reach out to us if you have questions about next Congress
at womenandrivers@internationalrivers.org or contact@internationalrivers.org.
Our Roadmap for Collective Action:
Our Roadmap for Collective Action:
In 2019, Congress participants jointly developed a roadmap for collective action in the coming years. Each represented an extraordinary wealth of knowledge and capacity in their own right, and have committed to pursuing early stage actions across each of these domains. However, to be effective much more needs to be done. This roadmap charts a course and we welcome and encourage others to expand upon and join in this endeavor.
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Generate Knowledge and Influence
Generate Knowledge and Influence
While there are pockets of academic and local knowledge documenting the importance of women and rivers, it is largely decentralized, under-communicated, and under-utilized. Most importantly, this critical knowledge is not having the significant impact on water governance that it should. The result is that women’s knowledge and interests remain marginalized, while political processes can too easily ignore them. Initiating a “state of knowledge report” that is co-created — drawing together academic review and community women local knowledge — was identified as a key next step in addressing the problem. It was also seen as critical to framing wider needs and opportunities for women's interests, while linking research/documentation with policy development and governance decision making.
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Mobilize Resources
Mobilize Resources
Less than 0.2% of all philanthropic dollars are dedicated to women and the environment. To be successful, we need to work with and influence the philanthropic community to scale-up funding through evidence-based storytelling and documentation of the urgency, need, and value of investing in rural women freshwater stewards. Increased funding should employ innovative, flexible funding approaches that genuinely respond to the needs of women at the forefront of change.
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Strengthen the Movement
Strengthen the Movement
While women have been at the forefront of efforts to protect rivers and river ecosystems for generations, the interconnected, translocal global movement is nascent. Building on the success of this Congress, we need to build “grassrooted” alliances with community and grassroots women at the forefront of change with integrated ecosystem of support from NGOS, researchers, academics, and funders. Existing capacities and knowledge need to be bolstered and fortified. Risks or threats to safety, security, health, and wellbeing of women and river ecosystems need to be identified alongside mechanisms and allies at the local, national, and international level to provide redress and support. Women leaders will take the lead in developing legal and policy frameworks.
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Frame the Narrative and Tell Our Stories
Frame the Narrative and Tell Our Stories
There is no unifying narrative that unites the initiative and struggles of women water stewards and protectors in common purpose. To be successful, we need to proactively develop and amplify positive framing and stories about the contributions of women and rivers leaders, as well as the threats they face, using traditional, social, and multimedia channels. Women on the frontlines should be prominent spokespeople in this growing movement, and should be supported with trainings and opportunities to speak forcefully and publicly about their experience and knowledge.
Featured Photo: Youth Activist at the Women and Rivers Congress, Nepal, 2019. Photo by International Rivers.
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