Engineer Cristiane Collet Battiston, director of the National Water and Basic Sanitation Agency (ANA), was elected this Friday (28) president of the Council of the Intergovernmental Hydrological Program (PHI) of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).
It is the first time, in the program’s five decades of existence, that a woman has assumed the presidency of the collegiate — a milestone considered historic for hydrology and for UNESCO itself.
The PHI is the agency’s main international cooperation platform for water-related issues, bringing together member countries in initiatives that encourage public policies based on scientific evidence.
The election takes place at a time when the management of water resources is gaining prominence in global discussions, especially after the 30th United Nations Conference on Climate Change (COP30), held in Belém, where the importance of water for mitigation and adaptation strategies to the climate emergency was reiterated.
Cristiane Battiston has a recognized trajectory in the area. Civil engineer, with a master’s degree and doctorate in hydrology, she worked in the Ministry of Planning and Budget and in the Civil House of the Presidency of the Republic. In September, he took up a position on the ANA Collegiate Board of Directors. His term as head of the PHI Council runs until 2027.
