The Building River Dialogue and Governance (BRIDGE) programme, led by IUCN, has over a decade of experience in strengthening water diplomacy across more than twenty transboundary river basins worldwide. The programme supports sustainable water resource management, promotes biodiversity conservation, and encourages peaceful cross-border cooperation. Its core mission is to build governance capacities that can ensure long-term water security and resilience.
BRIDGE places inclusive governance at the centre of its approach, emphasizing that diverse voices, particularly those of women, are crucial for effective and sustainable water governance. Despite this, gender imbalances remain entrenched in water management institutions, leading to the underrepresentation of women’s knowledge and leadership.
Recognizing this gap, BRIDGE Phase 5 introduces a dedicated on-granting programme aimed at promoting gender mainstreaming and women’s leadership in transboundary water governance. This initiative seeks to support practical, inclusive actions to empower women and integrate their contributions into water governance processes.
The BRIDGE Gender Grants aim to address structural barriers to gender equality by supporting inclusive institutional reforms and women-led initiatives. Two types of small grants will be made available in selected shared basins across Africa, Asia, and South America.
The Gender Mainstreaming Grants, up to CHF 15,000, are intended for River Basin Organizations and other transboundary water institutions. These grants will fund activities such as gender assessments, the development of action plans, stakeholder engagement with a focus on women’s participation, and capacity-building for institutional leadership roles. The expected outcome is the creation of governance frameworks and institutional strategies that embed gender inclusion and promote women’s participation in decision-making.
The Women Leadership Grants, up to CHF 10,000, are designed to support initiatives led by women or focused on women’s leadership in freshwater ecosystem governance. Funding will go to grassroots groups, NGOs, and civil society organisations that empower women to lead solutions in shared water resource management. These initiatives will focus on ecosystem restoration, conservation, and regional water cooperation. The expected result is an enhanced capacity among women and their organisations to lead and contribute meaningfully to transboundary water governance and the health of shared freshwater ecosystems.
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