Please join us to celebrate another year of action to elevate women’s voices across transboundary water dialogues! We will be sharing results related to our engagements at the UN Water Conference, as well as updates from each of the regional/basin communities now actively engaged in the Women in Water Diplomacy Network. Participants will also be able to learn more about plans for 2024 including the call for applications to join the 2024 Global Network Forum taking place March 4-8, 2024 in Vienna, Austria! 

For programme details visit: https://www.eli.org/events/women-water-diplomacy-network-2023-year-review-online-event

Pre-Registration is required to attend – register now at:  

https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYpdeCtqj4sHtSnbdJwlFU600JwDZehVEu7.   

For additional details please contact Elizabeth A. Koch at koch@eli.org.  

During the 2022 launch of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s Global Strategy at the World Water Week, Canadian Commissioner Merrell-Ann Phare of the International Joint Commission called for the establishment of a North American Women in Water Diplomacy Network. ‘There has never been a more important time for a Network like this to exist. The challenges we are facing are so significant – while we all face them – the impacts are most severely on those that are marginalized and vulnerable.’ Since this initial call, U.S. and Mexican sides of the International Boundary and Water Commission and a broad coalition of partners have continued efforts to make a new North American Network a reality! On December 13, 2023 the new Network will be launched an in–person reception on the side of the Colorado River Water Users Association annual conference. This event has been organized by the Women in Water Diplomacy Network and partners including the Stockholm International Water Institute, the Environmental Law Institute, the International Joint Commission, the International Boundary and Water Commission, the University of Arizona’s Water Resources Research Center and Udall Center for Studies of Public Policy, the Colorado River Indian Tribes, the Indigenous Women’s Leadership Network, the Lincoln Institute of Land Policy, National Audubon Society and the Gila River Indian Community with gracious support provided by the Walton Family Foundation, the Southern Nevada Water Authority, the Central Arizona Project, the Salt River Project, the Metropolitan Water District of Southern California, N-Drip, Montgomery and Associates, Freeport McMoRan and Stantec. To learn more about the launch event please visit https://www.eli.org/events/launch-event-and-reception-women-water-diplomacy-network-north-america. While space is limited to this invitation–only event – if you are in Las Vegas and interested in joining in person please contact Elizabeth Koch at koch@eli.org. 

Building on the huge success of the First Global Network Forum, the Women in Water Diplomacy  Network will host the Second Global Network Forum in Vienna, Austria from March 4-8, 2024! This special event will enable an estimated 60-70 women water diplomats to come together for a week of intensive exchange and learning to advance the objectives of our Global Strategy. As with the First Global Network Forum a limited number of sponsored participation scholarships will be made available to Network Members thanks to a grant from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Finland. In addition, self-sponsored women water diplomats will be encouraged to join us! To apply to join the Second Global Network Forum either with a participation scholarship or by self-sponsorship all Network Members must submit a short application by 5 January 2023 (applications will be open from 20 December 2023 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis). This early deadline is required to ensure we have sufficient time to support visa applications! For details and questions please attend the Year in Review event on December 11, 2023 or contact Elizabeth Koch at koch@eli.org.  

Network members will be contributing to the 2024 Women Plus Water webinar series including Network Leadership Council member Dr Zodwa Dlamini as part of the session on World Water Day in March 2024 on the theme of Leveraging Water for Peace. To learn more about Women + Water webinar series and register to participate please visit: https://gwf.usask.ca/events-meetings/women-and-water.php.