On World Water Day, UNESCO presented a report on water resources

On Thursday, 19 March 2026, the event marking World Water Day (22 March) took place at the headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Santiago. Organized by CONAPHI, with UNESCO's support, it featured two panels of experts in which the relationship between water and gender issues, and water security -with an emphasis on water reuse and seawater desalination-were discussed.

The Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, Esther Kuisch Laroche, presented the main findings of the new report Water for all: equal rights and opportunities, prepared by UN-Water -a body made up of multiple United Nations agencies and their partners- and published by UNESCO.

The report concludes that gender inequalities continue to undermine global water security. In particular, it notes that, despite decades of progress, women still account for more than 70% of water collection in rural households without a water supply worldwide. This task limits their educational and economic opportunities and increases their exposure to risks, including gender-based violence.

"This report clearly shows that progress towards water security requires strengthening water governance, improving the availability and quality of data, and promoting innovative solutions that respond to current challenges, such as climate change and growing demand. At UNESCO, we promote sustainable and inclusive water resource management that helps ensure access to water for everyone and strengthens the resilience of our societies," said the Director of the UNESCO Regional Office in Santiago, Esther Kuisch Laroche.

The report also underlines that women and girls collectively spend 250 million hours every day collecting water around the world, and that girls under the age of 15 are more likely than boys to be responsible for this task. In addition, inadequate sanitation contributes to school and workplace absenteeism: 10 million adolescents in 41 countries missed essential activities between 2016 and 2022 because of the lack of safe hygiene facilities.

Although women are essential to household water provision, agriculture and community resilience, the publication shows that they continue to be underrepresented in water governance, public financing and services: in 64 companies across 28 countries, only one in five workers in the water sector is a woman, and women also tend to receive lower pay.

The report further identifies that climate change exacerbates inequalities: a 1°C increase is associated with a proportionally greater decline in income in female-headed households, estimated at 34% higher than in male-headed households, as well as with an increase of approximately 55 minutes in their weekly workload.

Against this background, the report calls for the removal of legal and financial barriers to women's access to water and land; increased gender-responsive financing; investment in gender-disaggregated data; recognition of unpaid work related to water; strengthening of women's leadership in water governance; and moving beyond "low-cost" solutions that rely on their unpaid labour.

Acerca de ONU Agua y su labor por la igualdad de género

UN-Water is the United Nations coordination mechanism for water and sanitation. It is responsible for the preparation of this report and is made up of 36 members (United Nations entities) and 52 international partners.

UN-Water supports efforts across the entire United Nations system to promote gender equality in the areas of water and sanitation, fostering coordination, evidence-sharing and joint advocacy among its members and partners.