Beyond Water Security: Powering the Girls Who Power Water Through the HeForShe Economy is a proposed high-level global side-event to be convened on 9 December 2026, in the context of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference in Abu Dhabi. The event will position women, girls and young people not simply as beneficiaries of water and energy interventions, but as leaders, innovators, entrepreneurs, technical experts and decision-makers shaping solutions across the water–energy–climate nexus.
The event advances a practical proposition: lasting water security requires more than infrastructure. It requires reliable clean energy, gender-responsive investment, inclusive innovation, climate-resilient communities and institutions that enable women and young people to participate fully in designing, financing and delivering solutions.