Young Women in Sustainable Resource Management

Some heroes don’t wait for change — they create it. Meet Ritu Mohanta, a young woman from rural Odisha who is quietly rewriting the future of sustainability. While many chase conventional careers after graduation, Ritu chose a different path — one that serves the planet, the animals, and her community. With an agriculture degree and a heart full of purpose, she built her own biodegradable carry-bag production unit in Dangriguda, Nabarangpur. Her bags aren’t just plastic-free — they melt in water, decompose in soil within months, and are 100% safe for animals. Even stray cattle and goats won’t be harmed if they accidentally consume them. Inside her smoke-free, noise-free plant, Ritu and her team of 12 locals (including 5 incredible women) produce 2–3 quintals of eco-friendly bags every single day — from tiny pouches to 25-kg sacks. A small factory with a massive impact. Her initiative even caught the attention of the Nabarangpur District Collector, who inaugurated the plant and committed to taking these bags to the public. Ritu didn’t just start a business. She started a movement. A reminder that powerful change often begins in the most unexpected places — with someone who simply decides, “If not me, then who?” If these water-soluble eco bags were available in your city, would you replace plastic with Ritu’s greener alternative? #WomenInSustainability #EcoWarrior #InspiringWomen #GreenRevolution #Biodegradable #WomenEntrepreneurs #MakeInIndia #SustainableLiving #ClimateAction #OdishaHeroes

Some heroes don’t wait for change—they create it. Meet Ritu Mohanta, a young woman from rural Odisha, who decided that a better world couldn’t wait for someone else—it had to start with her. While many of her peers pursued conventional careers, Ritu chose a path that serves the planet, animals, and her community. With an agriculture degree and a mission-driven heart, she set up a biodegradable carry-bag production unit in Dangriguda, Nabarangpur. Her bags aren’t just plastic-free—they dissolve in water, decompose in soil within months, and are 100% safe for animals. Even if accidentally eaten by stray cattle or goats, they won’t be harmed. Inside her smoke-free, noise-free plant, Ritu leads a team of 12 local workers, including 5 incredible women, producing 2-3 quintals of eco-friendly bags daily—from tiny pouches to 25-kg sacks. A small factory creating massive environmental impact. Her work caught the attention of the Nabarangpur District Collector, who inaugurated the plant and pledged to distribute these bags to the public. Ritu isn’t just running a business—she’s building a movement for sustainable living. Her story reminds us that real change begins when one person decides to act. If these water-soluble eco bags were in your city, would you choose sustainability over plastic? 🌿 #WomenInSustainability #EcoWarrior #InspiringWomen #GreenRevolution #Biodegradable #WomenEntrepreneurs #MakeInIndia #SustainableLiving #ClimateAction #OdishaHeroes

My grandmother used to say, ‘If your hands are in the soil, don’t complain about dust, grow something instead.’ That’s what Africa’s women have been doing for decades. Not waiting. Not complaining. But building quietly, strategically, and brilliantly. For too long, the world saw them as vulnerable. But new data is finally catching up to a truth we’ve always known on the ground. A recent study https://bit.ly/3G1fx0A revealed: → Women-led small businesses are not just coping with climate change; they are quietly leading adaptation. → When floods destroy roads, women’s cooperatives reroute supply chains. →When drought hits crops, they shift to drought-resistant varieties and diversify income. → When shocks come, they don’t collapse, they reconfigure. The data confirms it: ↳ Women-led businesses adopt more sustainable strategies, such as crop switching, forming cooperatives, and reshaping markets. ↳ With even modest support, they outperform male-led businesses in long-term resilience. ↳ They do more with less: Less capital. Less access. Less visibility. Yet greater results. Now ask yourself: If this is vulnerability, what does real strength look like? Africa holds over $4 trillion in untapped domestic financial assets: ↳ $455B in pensions ↳ $320B in insurance ↳ $150B in sovereign wealth ↳ $473B in foreign reserves But less than 2% reaches the women building grassroots climate resilience. Not because their models aren’t sound. Not because the returns aren’t strong. But because traditional finance was never built to value the informal, the community-led, the underestimated. From our work across the continent, the proof is overwhelming: ↳ Women-led cassava cooperatives manage microloans and run solar-powered processing hubs. ↳Decentralised energy systems run by women are powering not just homes, but local industries, digital hubs, and value chains. ↳ Young women mapping waste with AI, turning trash into trade, and floods into foresight. These aren’t just projects but blueprints for a new kind of economy. What must change? → Finance must flow differently. Long-term climate capital must also leverage what is within, unlocking pensions, insurance, and remittances. →  Energy must be redefined. Not just light bulbs, but power for agro-processing, mineral beneficiation, and digital economies. →  Policy must be inclusive by design. Women-led SMEs must be co-creators of infrastructure, not afterthoughts. → Data must be people-powered. Credit scores built from Njangi records, mobile transactions, cooperative data, not outdated collateral. Leadership must mean systems change. We cannot solve 21st-century challenges with 20th-century tools. Women must be at the centre of the redesign. Because resilience is not a slogan, it’s a system. And systems that exclude the very people solving the hardest problems are built to fail. Let’s stop admiring resilience. Let’s start financing it. Let’s fund the future by funding her. Dr. Richard Munang

Throughout my career, I have been a big believer in Women Networks.   One great example is our Women in Water Management Network in Central Asia and Afghanistan, and I am delighted to see that it is now part of a wider, global group of women.   This Network is supporting women, particularly younger professionals, around the region by building their skills, expanding their networks, and increasing their participation in water governance at all levels.   It is also helping to strengthen their awareness of good water governance and their capacities related to negotiation, diplomacy, and mediation for peacebuilding processes and conflict prevention particularly around water issues.   I love to see the positive energy and drive women empowerment can bring in the water sector and beyond – and this is much needed.   As the global climate becomes more unpredictable, it is more difficult to forecast freshwater availability at a particular time and location – thus increasing the role of water as a source of discord.   And water can be yet another basic need women are prevented to access in humanitarian setting or a means of exchange in corrupted networks.    We at the OSCE are well aware of these challenges, and we are trying to address them effectively though sustainable water management systems but – and this is very important – also through transboundary co-operation.   And we are also working to bring in women in such processes. I absolutely believe that women should be part of all decision-making processes at all levels.   Women are usually the primary collectors, users and managers of water resources. For this reason, they have accumulated considerable knowledge and expertise.   Despite plenty of evidence that engaging women in this domain is a very effective policy, women are still often under-represented in political decision-making.   To overcome this gender gap, we must ensure that the water sector becomes more gender aware, and that women are given the necessary skills and tools they need to advance their careers.   With this in mind, we offer assistance to the OSCE participating States on gender mainstreaming in water management, including career development programs for women water professionals. Seeing these representatives of several generations of women in Water Diplomacy and seeing that these networks are strong, growing in experience and mutually supporting and inspiring leaves me hopeful and optimistic.   Their skills will support peaceful, co-operation-oriented solutions that strengthen social fabric in our communities and support a path towards comprehensive security for all – so everyone will benefit from this.   Such initiatives are what we need. Happy international women’s day   #IWD2024  

Throwback to Month 3 of the Women Income Generation Opportunities Initiative (WIGOI) by Capital Solutions and Siemens Stiftung, where I had the privilege of mentoring a vibrant group of young women on Sustainable Leadership and Gender. The WIGOI program is a transformative skilling and mentorship effort targeting young women aged 18–30 in semi-urban and rural Uganda. The initiative provides 360-degree educational support to women, equipping them with tools for income generation, business development, and personal growth while also strengthening soft skills and leadership capacity. In my session, we explored Gender, not just as a topic about women but as a framework of power, expectations, and roles that shape how we access opportunities, lead, and grow. I emphasized that gender affects access to capital, networks, decision-making spaces, and even confidence especially for women entrepreneurs. (This topic always elicits fiery exchanges so I have learned to calm the storms 😄 ). We then dove into what it truly means to be a Sustainable Leader, a concept that goes far beyond “green practices” to include values-driven leadership that influences systems, fosters collaboration, and advances long-term impact in communities, organizations, and ecosystems. We broke it down into 5 key values of a Sustainable Leader: Long-term Vision; Look beyond short-term gains. Make decisions with the future in mind. Innovation and Systems Thinking; understand that organizations and ecosystems are interconnected and that solutions need to address root causes. Collaboration and Stakeholder Engagement; Include voices that are often excluded to create fair, impactful change. People-Centered Culture; Build environments where people feel seen, safe, and supported. Responsibility to Society and the Environment; From your sourcing to your waste. The young women then asked, “How do I become a sustainable leader?” I shared a few guiding principles: Have a Vision Beyond Profit; Your business should reflect your values and solve real problems. Ask yourself: What legacy am I building? Lead with Empathy and Trust; Leadership is not control; it’s influence, presence, and growth. Prepare for Change; Build resilience through innovation, strong systems, and income diversity. Be a Steward of Resources; Whether you're using local herbs, fabrics, or digital tools, do so responsibly. Fill Your Own Buckets First; You can’t pour into others if you are constantly depleted. Your leadership starts with self-care, self-awareness, and self-trust. At Flourish Hub, these are the same values we embed in our work empowering over 3,000 women across Uganda to lead boldly, grow sustainable enterprises, and flourish in life and business. WIGOI reminds us that when women are equipped with the right knowledge and networks, they become unstoppable forces for good in their communities. #WIGOI #GenderAndDevelopment Dr Joyce Tamale (FCCA) Hellen Teopista Nakyeyune Evelyn B.W. Mwasa(FCIM/CAM)

I often find myself moving between global climate policy spaces and community conversations. And while the language and scale may differ, it’s in the community spaces (especially with women and youth) where the realities of climate and environment become most clear. While training women from the Mara sub-basin, one of the discussions brought out how the distance to water has steadily increased over the years. Not just because of the dwindling rivers—but because access, control and changing ecosystems have shifted. Water sources haven’t just changed because of climate, but because of who has #access, control and #voice in #decision-making. This is why I value the constant weaving between global conversations and community realities. Because climate work—especially through a gender lens—is not just about #systems and #structures. It’s also about #lived experiences, #invisible labor, and the #leadership that already exists but is often unrecognized. Through the ‘Strengthening Women’s Leadership and Voice in Water Governance’ in the Mara Basin’ programme supported by IUCN we had a 2-day training focused on #building #knowledge, #participation and #leadership of #women in water resource management. What stood out was the clarity of lived experience, the exchange of practical solutions and the recognition that women are already managing water systems—just not always shaping the decisions around them. Plus the limitations we have placed on ourselves in doing more in unpaid labor than going after the highest ranks of resource governance brought about by cultural norms and other factors. Bridging climate work with a gender lens means paying attention to these spaces and ensuring leadership reflects the realities on the ground. Africa Water Ambassadors Global Water Partnership UN Women World Resources Institute SIWI - Stockholm International Water Institute Huairou Commission #ClimateAction #GenderAndClimate #EnvironmentResourceGovernance #MaraBasin #WomenInLeadership