International Women's Rights Day 2025 - Interview with Stéphanie Laronde, Director of Technical and Institutional Support & Cooperation at OiEau
Officialised by the United Nations in 1977, International Women's Rights Day promotes awareness and mobilisation of schoolchildren for women's rights and equality between girls and boys.
The year 2025, under the theme ‘For ALL women and girls: rights, equality and empowerment’, will also mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, a key milestone in the fight for women's rights and gender equality worldwide.
The water and sanitation sector can play a key role in reducing inequality. However, according to the Rhine-Meuse Water Agency, only 25% of the workforce in the water sector are women: a rate that is still far too low.
To mark International Women's Rights Day on 8 March, we gave the floor to Stéphanie Laronde, Director of Technical and Institutional Support - Cooperation at the Office International de l'Eau (OiEau), to discuss the issue of gender and gender equality in European projects, and the resources developed by OiEau with this in mind.
How has the importance of gender in European projects evolved, and why is it becoming an increasingly important issue today?
Gender mainstreaming in European projects is nownot only an obligation, but also anessential element of the proposed approaches. Gender has become an inescapable component, particularly in the context of projects funded by the European Union, such as those under the Horizon Europe programme. In this context,every project must include a gender-sensitive analysis and approach. This is now an essential condition for participating in these calls for projects.
To meet these requirements, OiEau has introduced a gender charter which is systematically attached to our proposals for European calls for projects, ensuring that the gender dimension is integrated in a structured and visible way. This approach reflects a clear move towards taking greater account of gender equality in all aspects of European projects.
Although gender mainstreaming is not explicitly compulsory in some European projects, it is nevertheless increasingly valued. A gender-sensitive approach is becoming an asset and a necessity in project communication, both internally and externally.
The issue of gender is therefore becoming increasingly prominent, not only because it is becoming an institutional requirement, but also because of OiEau's commitment to promoting gender equality within its teams. When recruiting, OiEau pays particular attention to this issue of the place of women professionals in our association, which is recognised as being in the public interest. As a result, many women occupy key positions such as Project Managers or Work Package Managers. These advances are integrated and promoted in our European projects, reinforcing our commitment to gender equality in the water sector.
Finally, gender mainstreaming in communication and project implementation involves specific activities such as workshops, videos and other creative formats that help to raise awareness and spread this message widely.
How has OiEau tackled this issue in concrete terms, and what tools and methodologies has it developed to meet this challenge?
OiEau has actively integrated the gender issue into its projects, firstly through the drafting of its gender charter, which serves as a reference for structuring the gender approach in all our proposals and actions. But beyond this institutional commitment, we have also put in place a number of awareness-raising tools to promote gender equality, particularly in the water sector.
The main objective is to demonstrate that it is possible for women to hold positions of responsibility in areas such as scientific research, particularly in water-related sectors. To achieve this, OiEau organises awareness-raising campaigns via social networks, visits to schools led by partner researchers, and activities such as videos, comic strip illustrations and computer graphics.
These initiatives are particularly highlighted on days such as International Women's Rights Day or International Day of Girls and Women in Science, in order to popularise and promote the presence of women in science, and more particularly in professions linked to water management.
The aim of all these tools is to inspire the next generations of women and girlsto embark on scientific and leadership careers in the water sector, while contributing to greater inclusion and the reduction of gender stereotypes.
In short, OiEau takes a proactive and creative approach to integrating gender into its projects, raising awareness, supporting the inclusion of women in science and promoting gender equality through concrete actions.