LocationsUNDP China Holds the 2026 World Water Day Event Spotlighting Gender-Smart Solutions for Climate Resilience and Sustainability
March 25, 2026
Group Photo of Participants at the 2026 World Water Day Event
World Water Day, observed annually on March 22, shines a spotlight on the importance of freshwater and the urgent need for sustainable water management. The 2026 global theme, “Water and Gender,” calls for recognizing the critical role women play in water governance and addressing the disproportionate burdens they face in water-scarce regions. Currently, the world is facing an increasingly severe water crisis. A recent UN report warned that the world has entered an era of "water bankruptcy"—since the 1990s, approximately half of the world's large lakes have experienced a continuous decline in water volume, 35% of natural wetlands have permanently disappeared, and nearly 70% of major groundwater aquifers have been chronically depleted. Water scarcity and climate change are intertwined, profoundly impacting food security, ecological protection, and the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals.
As such, on March 20, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in China, together with the Global Water Partnership China and the Chinese Hydraulic Engineering Society of International Cooperation and Exchange Committee, hosted a special World Water Day event in Beijing to explore how gender-responsive approaches can strengthen water governance and climate resilience. The event gathered over 70 participants and representatives—both online and offline— including from the Ministry of Water Resources, the China International Economic and Technical Exchange Center (CICETE), the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, research institutions, community organizations, and international partners.
The event opened with remarks from Mr. Vineet Bhatia, Senior Advisor to UNDP China; Ms. Ai Yinfang, Deputy Director of CICETE; and Mr. Hao Zhao, Director of the International Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Center of the Ministry of Water Resources.
Mr. Vineet Bhatia pointed out in his address that 2.2 billion people worldwide lack access to safe drinking water, and 3.4 billion lack safe sanitation facilities. Among households requiring outdoor water access, women bear 70% of the responsibility. He emphasized that gender equality is the cornerstone of water governance. He also noted that since its launch in 2007, UNDP's Water Governance Programme (WGP), in collaboration with CICETE and Coca-Cola China, has achieved a cumulative water replenishment of 287.9 billion liters, benefiting over 2.88 million people. And for the first time, in 2025, women accounted for 51.9% of all direct beneficiaries.
Vineet Bhatia, Senior Advisor at UNDP China, Delivering Opening Remarks
In a video address, Ms. Ai Yinfang stated that water is the source of life, essential for production, and the foundation of the ecosystem. She pointed out that rural women are the primary users, managers, and guardians of water resources, and their wisdom and practical value in water management cannot be ignored. For nineteen years, the WGP has consistently resonated with China's ecological civilization construction, implementing nearly 70 projects, with women benefiting in 51.9% of the cases, achieving a deep integration of gender equality and water governance. She expressed China's willingness to continue deepening cooperation with UNDP, using South-South Cooperation as a bridge to promote mutual learning and exchange of global water management experiences.
Ai Yinfang, Deputy Director of CICETE, Delivering Opening Remarks via Video
Mr. Hao Zhao commended the positive achievements of the WGP in promoting sustainable water governance in China in his speech. He stated that the Ministry of Water Resources has always deeply integrated water resource protection with rural revitalization and green development. In the future, the International Exchange Center will continue to support the WGP's demonstration practices in key river basins such as the Yangtze and Yellow Rivers, promote the concept of gender equality throughout the entire process of water resource governance, and help achieve a Chinese-style modernization characterized by harmonious coexistence between humanity and nature.
Hao Zhao, Director of the International Economic and Technological Cooperation and Exchange Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, Delivering Opening Remarks
Chen Mei, Director of the National Water Conservation Promotion Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, delivered a keynote speech titled "Analysis of Policy Alignment and Innovation in the Chinese Practice of the WGP.” She pointed out that after years of development, the WGP has gradually expanded from its initial focus on specific challenges such as drinking water safety and pollution prevention to a comprehensive practical system covering 22 provinces and 62 projects. The projects have cumulatively achieved water-saving irrigation of 857,000 mu (approximately 50,867 hectares) and annual water savings of 12.4 million tons. Seven of the 12 practical technologies developed have been promoted by the Ministry of Water Resources. Women play a key role in community water management, spreading water conservation awareness, and promoting agricultural technologies.
Chen Mei, Director of the National Water Conservation Promotion Center of the Ministry of Water Resources, Delivering a Keynote Speech
Peng Xiang, Deputy Chief Engineer of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, delivered a keynote speech titled "Gender Wisdom and Sustainable Development Path of WGP in the Global Boiling Era." Drawing on the evaluation results of the 14th Five-Year Plan for the WGP, he shared the unique role of women in water resource governance from both historical and cultural perspectives and project practice. He mentioned that during the 14th Five-Year Plan period, the WGP implemented 38 projects in 19 provinces, autonomous regions, and municipalities, empowering grassroots women through science, skills training, and community co-management. Notable examples emerged, such as the "UN Sustainable Development Demonstration Village" in Miyun District, Beijing, the appointment of "Little River Chiefs" at Qiaodian Reservoir in Shandong, and the training of intangible cultural heritage handicrafts in Sichuan, truly realizing the goal of "making women visible, heard, and valued."
Peng Xiang, Deputy Chief Engineer of the China Institute of Water Resources and Hydropower Research, Delivering a Keynote Speech
During the case-sharing session, women representatives of the Naxi ethnic group from Lugu Lake, spanning multiple generations, shared their experiences and the changes in their lives resulting from participating in the water resource protection sub-project of the WGP. Their inspiring stories were met with enthusiastic applause from the audience.
Following this, Dr. Guo Fei from Xihua University introduced the "Lugu Lake Water Ecological Restoration and Rural Sustainable Development Demonstration Project." This project uses microbial technology as its core to construct a nature-based solution (NbS), implementing an ecological restoration demonstration project along the Lugu Lake shoreline. Simultaneously, it empowers Naxi women through the "Dazushe" platform, promoting the transformation of ecological value and sustainable community development.
Representatives of Naxi Women from Lugu Lake Sharing Their Experiences of Participating in Water-Related Projects
Dr. Guo Fei from Xihua University Introducing the Project
Jia Yangwen, a technical committee member of the Global Water Partnership China Committee, introduced the practical experience of exploring a county-level integrated water governance assessment framework in Jiahe, Hunan; Deqing, Zhejiang; and Chongzhou, Sichuan, under the SDG 6.5.1 sub-project of the WGP. He elaborated on how to incorporate a gender perspective into the evaluation indicators—using the "equity measures" indicator to examine whether counties have formulated water security policies targeting vulnerable groups and women. He emphasized that China has achieved "gender-neutral" water supply equity structurally through integrated urban and rural water supply. He proposed that in the future, efforts should be made to promote the transformation of women from "beneficiaries" to "participants."
Jia Yangwen, Technical Committee Member of the Global Water Partnership China Committee, Sharing Case Studies
In his closing remarks, Mr. Zhang Weidong, Assistant Resident Representative of UNDP China, stated that the event’s discussions reaffirmed that when women are excluded from decision-making, we lose half the solution; when women are empowered, communities become more resilient, and projects become more sustainable and inclusive. He thanked all partners for their long-term support and called on all stakeholders to continue working together to scale up the application of gender-responsive water governance models and jointly strive to build a secure, gender-equal, and sustainable future.
Zhang Weidong, Assistant Resident Representative of UNDP China, Delivering Closing Remarks
This year’s event is one of many flagship events that UNDP China has organized over the past years around the theme of World Water Day. It aims to serve as a platform that brings together governments, academia, communities, and NGOs to promote dialogue on integrating gender equality into water resource governance. The valuable insights and practical cases presented at this event will provide references for future water governance policy advocacy, sharing of South-South Cooperation experiences, and the localization of the SDGs.
With four years remaining until the 2030 Agenda deadline, UNDP is committed to continue working with all partners to enhance water management, ensure that women are seen, heard, and valued, and jointly promote global water governance toward a more inclusive, resilient, and sustainable future.