World Water Day: linking sustainability, water and gender
Our Focus of the Month for March is Sustainability, and World Water Day on 22 March gives us a brilliant opportunity to explore that theme with learners in a way that is timely, relevant and rooted in real-world issues.
This year, there is also a particularly powerful link to make with International Women’s Day, which took place yesterday on 8 March. While World Water Day helps us explore the environmental side of sustainability, it also reminds us that sustainability is not just about protecting the planet. It is also about fairness, access and equity.
That link feels especially important this year because the World Water Day 2026 theme is Water and Gender. It shines a spotlight on the way water insecurity and poor sanitation do not affect everyone equally, and on the need to place women and girls at the centre of water solutions.
This gives teachers a really meaningful way into the wider sustainability conversation. Water touches almost every part of our lives. It connects to climate, ecosystems, health, food production, engineering, infrastructure and global development. But it also connects to people’s lived experiences, and to the reality that access to clean water and sanitation can shape education, safety, health and opportunity.
For learners, that opens up some powerful questions. Where does our water come from? How is it cleaned, transported and managed? What happens when water systems come under pressure? Who is most affected when access to clean water is limited? And how can science, technology, engineering and maths help us respond?
That is what makes World Water Day such a strong fit for our sustainability focus this month. It helps show that STEM is not just about understanding how the world works, but about thinking carefully about how it can be improved. It encourages young people to see sustainability as something practical, human and connected to justice as well as the environment.
If you are looking for a way to bring this into your teaching, we have a dedicated World Water Day collection with resources to help you explore the theme with your learners. Whether you are after a quick classroom discussion starter, a practical activity, a cross-curricular link or a wider enrichment opportunity, it is a great place to begin.