CIWA Insights
A View from the Field
STORY
In the male-dominated transboundary water sector, men who support gender equality are well-positioned to challenge cultural norms about gender roles and advocate with other men to advance women’s equality and empowerment in water resources institutions. Assefa Gudina explains how he wants to change things. Assefa Gudina is blunt when it comes to describing why he joined CIWA’s new Male Champions for Women’s Empowerment initiative. “Leaving half of society out and discouraging them and their participation is a crime.”
Videos
Insights from the CIWA Male Champions
CIWA believes that the Male Champions for Women’s Empowerment (MCWE) are uniquely placed to engage with other men to advocate for gender equality and women’s empowerment within transboundary water organizations at the local, national, regional, and continental level. Watch their insights. Watch their insights.
Events
Workshop
In March 2025, and co-organized by the Equal Aqua Platform and the Cooperation in International Waters in Africa, the workshop aimed to provide water institutions across Sub-Saharan Africa with a valuable platform to explore and exchange knowledge regarding the barriers women face in the water workforce and to identify potential solutions for their retention. The event attracted 80 participants, representing various water institutions from English-speaking Sub-Saharan Africa, and also sought to empower CIWA’s Male Champions for Women’s Empowerment by equipping them with the essential knowledge and tools necessary to advance gender equality in the workplace.