Committed water professionals contribute to sustainable water management and peaceful societies says OSCE Secretary General Zannier on World Water Day

Water is a strategic resource and an essential element of prosperity, security and stability. Committed water professionals contribute to sustainable water management and peaceful societies, said OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier, on the occasion of 22 March, World Water Day, devoted to ‘Water and Jobs’.

“Sustainable, fair and efficient management of water requires the high expertise of water professionals,” said Zannier. “In addition, it is crucial that both men and women bring their knowledge and experience to water management. Gender mainstreaming helps ensure that decisions are better targeted, and social imbalances reduced. Different perspectives can help to prevent water-related issues from triggering tensions.”

Zannier stressed that the OSCE’s work in the field of water and security contributes to global efforts towards implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, and the Paris Agreement on climate change.

The OSCE has been actively supporting gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women working in water management. As part of an OSCE project on women, water management and conflict prevention, funded by the Governments of Finland, Norway and Switzerland, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities together with the OSCE Gender Section, organized a regional seminar on gender mainstreaming and conflict resolution in water governance in Central Asia and Afghanistan. The seminar was followed by a training course and a mentoring programme for female water professionals, featured here.

The OSCE’s approach to water and security is outlined in an animated infographic entitled Water is Security, available for viewing here.