Towards the International Women's Day 2023: Women in GWP CACENA Share Journeys to Innovation and Technology

The theme for International Women’s Day, 8 March 2023 (IWD 2023) is, “DigitALL: Innovation and technology for gender equality”. On the eve of celebrating, we asked women in the GWP CACENA network to tell us their journeys to innovation and technology in the water sector.

BardkadzeDr. Elina Bakradze, Deputy Head of the Environmental Pollution Monitoring Department of the National Environmental Agency of the Ministry of Environment Protection and Agriculture, Georgia:

“My daily work is related to environmental monitoring, contributing to technological innovations. It means improving the availability and quality of data, the cooperation in sharing of data for water, air and soil quality, biodiversity statistics, assessment of living resources etc. For me promoting technological innovation eliminates and accentuates exclusion and inequality and as the technology is a resilience factor for the global economy, let’s build an innovative world based on technology, intellect and equality for better future together!”

 

GanievaDilnora Ganieva, PhD student, Department of Water Supply and Water Resources Management, Samarkand State University of Architecture and Civil Engineering, Uzbekistan:

“My area of expertise is related to water resources, and I mainly have experience in sustainable water management in the arid zones of Central Asia. Also, I has more than 5 years of teaching experience in the field of water supply and water management and I am an author of more than 20 scientific articles on research related to water and water supply. Without water, I cannot imagine the development of society, this problem is one of the indicators that will determine the way of life of mankind in the future, the problem of water is always relevant. Since surface water resources in Central Asia and Uzbekistan are limited, the stabilization of water supply through groundwater is one of the main goals of my work. Sustainable water management and a modern approach to solving water problems is an innovative method and I am working on a technology to extend the sustainable operation of wells. I think that women play a major role in solving the water problems of Uzbekistan in Central Asia and their role could be increased through, for example, such a way as "family-school-university-society". As to gender aspect, my participation in solving problem on water supply in the region is proof that women role is really increasing in the water sector of Uzbekistan."

 

BilguunBilguun Buyantogtokh, Associate professor, School of civil engineering and architecture, Mongolian University of Science and Technology, Mongolia:

 She graduated from the Yokohama National University of Japan and now is working on improving indoor air quality. Her research work: "Indoor thermal environment and energy consumption of dwellings in Mongolia".

 Enjoy the  interview with Bilguun Buyantogtokh, which was taken by CWP-Mongolia Chairman Prof. Basandorj Davaa during the International Conference on Reducing Air pollution.

 

MelkonyanMargarita Melkonyan, Lawyer, completed her Bachelor's degree at the French University and her Master's degree from the American University in Armenia; Member of the CWP-Armenia Youth Group; participant of the Summer School 2022 organized by the GWP CEE in Hungary, Armenia:

 

 “CWP-Armenia, in cooperation with GWP CEE  under the support of the Visegrad Fund, launched a project on drought. One of the goals of the project is to create an electronic platform “Community of Practice for Drought”, which will bring together Armenian and European experts on issues related to drought, its management and monitoring, as well as involve the public and youth. I believe that the Drought COP is a common platform for all stakeholders where they can exchange experiences regarding drought monitoring and early warning, vulnerability and impact assessment, find the best solutions to be better prepared and respond to drought and its negative consequences. The moderator is a responsible position, and I think that a lot will depend on this role in the future, after the launch of the platform. As a moderator of the platform, I am going to contribute to the effective management of the platform, which in turn will lead to successful problem solving.”

 

 GoharGohar Yeghiazaryan, geographer-agrometeorologist, graduated from the bachelor's and master's programs at the Armenian State Pedagogical University; graduated from the Vienna University of Natural Resources and Applied Sciences; has experience in teaching and working with students; Chief agrometeorologist of the Department of Agrometeorology of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring, Armenia:

 “I am working on the content of the “Community of Practice for Drought” platform. As far as the content is successful and rich, and the information is useful, there are so many chances that the project will be a success. As a natural disaster, drought has a multifaceted interest, so anyone and everyone, from agricultural workers to government agencies, can be considered beneficiaries of the Drought-COP program. However, I believe that we need to target a wide audience of users, not only professionals, but also students and teachers. I would really like for us to succeed.”

 

HasmikHasmik Panyan, graduated from the Faculty of Geography and Geology of Yerevan State University; Chief Specialist of the Applied Climatology Department of the Center for Hydrometeorology and Monitoring, where has been working since 2013, Armenia:

 “I participate in the Drought COP program. The purpose of the Drought-COP program is to create a platform for cooperation on various aspects of drought, which is a great opportunity for experts from different countries to share their experience. The program will result in stakeholder collaboration, drought assessment and forecasting, and effective management. The drought problem is very urgent for Armenia and the ways to solve it depend on good cooperation between institutions and state structures, farmers and local authorities. We have been given a very important and responsible role in this project and we as young professionals with the help of our mentors should create a platform completely new in its format for Armenia.”