This week, Soroptimist International President, Mariet Verhoef-Cohen delivered the concluding remarks at the ‘Thirsty for Change: Promoting a Gender-Responsive Approach to Achieve Water Security’ panel at the UNESCO International Water Conference in Paris. The panel discussed ways of empowering women through better water management and policy making. President Mariet ended her speech with the following statement:

“Being ‘’thirsty for change’’ is significant, and a ‘’gender-responsive approach to achieve water security’’ is a necessity, but this is all easier said than done. Stereotypes persist, sex-disaggregated data is lacking and finance for women is seemingly unavailable. Nevertheless, what we need to do is clear and it is worthwhile to continue our mission”.

You can read the full speech here.

During her time in Paris, President Mariet was invited to speak on the television show ‘France 24’ to discuss water as an entry point to female empowerment. The President seized the opportunity to highlight that in order for there to be a true movement towards equitable access to water, women need to be involved in the design of safe drinking water systems and sanitation management. Click here to view the full interview.