Empowering women in water research is essential for building inclusive, resilient and knowledge-rich water governance systems. Yet across many regions, women remain underrepresented, under-recognised and structurally constrained within research, policy and leadership spaces. This session explores how targeted data, governance reforms, community-driven approaches and international cooperation can strengthen women’s roles in water research from local to global scales. Presentations highlight innovations such as sex-disaggregated data platforms, transformative citizen-science leadership, justice-oriented legal and governance frameworks, and the growing influence of women in transboundary water diplomacy. Together, these perspectives demonstrate how empowering women researchers leads to more equitable, effective and collaborative water solutions.
The session will be held on December 3rd from 8:30 am until 10:00 am MAR time on Wednesday. CEO, Amanda Loeffen will introduce the session and then moderate the roundtable discussion between the speakers:
- Francesca Greco (Marie Curie Research Fellow, University of Bergamo, Italy)
- Ariana Rossen (Senior researcher at the National Water Institute. Member of the LAC group of Community of Women in Water (CWiW), chair of the LAC Chapter IWRA)
- Tracy-Lynn Field (Professor, University of Witwatersrand, South Africa)
- Raya Stephan (Water Law Expert, Deputy Editor in Chief, IWRA, France)
Speakers
Amanda Loeffen
Amanda Loeffen is CEO of Human Right 2 Water, leading global research on the human rights to water and sanitation. She works closely with governments, UN bodies and civil society to advance rights-based governance and resilient community-focused water solutions worldwide.
Ariana Rossen
Ariana Rossen is a water resources researcher at the National Water Institute in Argentina. She contributes to educational programs from pre-university to postgraduate levels and collaborates with NGOs and associations to strengthen governance, professional training, and gender equity. Her work documents transformative women leaders across productive and social sectors, contributing to regional research initiatives on women and water in Latin America.
Francesca Greco
Francesca Greco, a researcher at the University of Bergamo and affiliated with UNESCO WWAP, specialises in gender, water governance and data systems. She leads Italy’s Women in Water platform, applying WWAP indicators and geo-mapping to strengthen representation and visibility across the sector.
Raya Stephan
Raya Stephan, an international water law specialist and former consultant to UNESCO and the World Bank, focuses on transboundary water cooperation and global governance. Her work highlights women’s leadership in water diplomacy, institutional strengthening and international legal processes shaping shared water management.
Tracy-Lynn Field
Tracy-Lynn Field is Professor of Law at the University of the Witwatersrand and Claude Leon Foundation Chair in Earth Justice. She specialises in environmental law, water justice and governance, analysing how legal and institutional frameworks influence women’s leadership and equity in water research.
