Reporting on water diplomacy: does gender matter?

In media, donor reports and research articles that address gender and water management, the focus is usually on water supply and sanitation at household level or local management in the agricultural sector. Transboundary water governance, water diplomacy and conflict prevention at an interstate level is seen as a man's world. Indeed, numbers show that women are under-represented in decision-making positions in transboundary river basin organizations. Often, this is not further reflected, as political processes and decisions are assumed to be neutral. What does the gendered nature of water diplomacy mean for reporting on water conflicts and water cooperation? Across the world women are increasingly taking up spaces which previously were dominated by men, also in water diplomacy. However, often women are not portrayed as leaders, experts and agents of change, but as victims or vulnerable groups. Gender-sensitive reporting can change this - by representing female decision makers in their professional roles, but also by pointing to their absence - e.g. pointing to all-male delegations or expert panels. Another aspect is to concentrate reporting not only on the (male) leaders, but to show the variety of actors who contribute to any negotiation or agreement - which automatically brings a more diverse picture of the relevant actors. Finally, it is crucial to question seemingly 'neutral', 'usual' and taken-for-granted practices and ask if there wouldn't be alternative ways to address water conflicts if other actors were to be given a voice.