Water is a gendered issue, particularly in the mountain areas of the Hindu Kush Himalaya. Inequalities between men and women, characterized most acutely by women’s lack of control over and limited access to productive resources, make women and girls in the region more vulnerable to the impacts of water-related disasters, water scarcity, and related energy and food insecurity.

At the same time, they also have a wealth of local knowledge on managing water resources and play a crucial role in mitigating water-related disaster risks. However, because of traditional social norms, their contributions to sustainable water management and disaster risk reduction are often overlooked or undervalued.

Gender equality is a prerequisite for sustainable development, and women are key change agents in building stronger and more resilient communities in the Koshi River Basin. In the HKH region where many men from rural villages migrate for work, this issue is even more critical.

Because of this ICIMOD’s, Koshi Basin Initiative prioritizes gender across its programme design, planning, and implementation for sustainable impacts that improve the lives and livelihoods of communities in the basin.