In this inspiring episode on WahWoman, we speak with Nina af Hällström, spouse of the Consul General of Finland in Mumbai. But Nina is far more than a diplomatic partner — she’s an accomplished political leader, Executive Director in the disability sector, and a proud mother and grandmother. We explore how she’s balanced life across cultures, built a strong career in Finland, and stayed rooted in purpose while living abroad. Tune in to hear her journey of resilience, adaptation, and leadership across borders. Don’t miss this empowering conversation that shines a light on the often-overlooked lives of diplomatic spouses!

Tanja Miškova is a career diplomat with over 24 years of experience at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Slovenia. Her recent work focuses on water diplomacy and the circular economy, two areas of deep passion. Throughout her distinguished career, she has engaged extensively with the Middle East, particularly the Israeli-Arab conflict. She has served as Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Slovenia in Israel and later as Diplomatic Adviser to the President of Slovenia, Dr. Danilo Türk. Upon returning to the ministry, she took on the role of National Coordinator for the Union of the Mediterranean. Additionally, she has served as Ambassador to Egypt, with non-resident accreditation to Jordan, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Kuwait, Qatar, and Oman. Tanja has held key positions such as Head of the Department for Emerging Threats and Challenges, and Acting Director General for Multilateral Affairs, Development Cooperation, and International Law.

                                                    Tanja Miškova

Rajni Vohra: Water is a crucial resource with geopolitical significance. How does Slovenia
approach water diplomacy, especially in regions where water scarcity is a major issue?
Tanja Miškova: Our water diplomacy efforts are focusing on three thematic priorities – 1. Water
peace nexus, 2. Transboundary water cooperation, and 3. Water climate nexus –
and two cross-cutting priorities: gender equality and human rights-based approach.
These efforts are closely aligned with our priorities in human rights agenda, peace
security agenda, and development cooperation and humanitarian assistance.

As a co-founder and the current chair of the Group of Friends on Water and Peace in
Geneva, Slovenia advocates for considering water in conflict prevention, conflict
resolution and peacebuilding efforts, and for protection of water resources and water
infrastructure during and after armed conflicts in accordance with International
Humanitarian Law. We point to the importance of climate resilient post-conflict
recovery and environmental peacebuilding.
These are our messages also during our current two-year tenure as an elected
member of the UN Security Council. We stress on the under-explored potential of
water for preventive action and peacebuilding.

Rajni Vohra: Slovenia shares water resources with several neighboring countries. What
strategies and agreements have been most effective in ensuring equitable and
sustainable water management across borders?
Tanja Miškova: We find that transboundary water cooperation is most effective and sustainable  when based on solid institutional and legal framework, grounded in International Water Law and it principles, is based on trust and transparent exchange of data, is sustainably financed, is comprehensive, inclusive, enjoys solid political support but no interference, and brings the sense of equal participation and equal benefits to all riparians. The International Framework Agreement on the Sava River Basin is a prime example of such an agreement.
Transboundary cooperation with neighbours that are not riparians of Sava River
Basin, is based on bilateral frameworks and conducted within bilateral commissions.
Their effectiveness varies; their scope and level of cooperation does not match that
of the Sava River Basin. A wider scope of cooperation widens the range of benefits
each riparian can enjoy as result of cooperation.

Rajni Vohra: With climate change intensifying water-related challenges, how does Slovenia
integrate water diplomacy into its broader climate action strategies?
Tanja Miškova: The water climate nexus was not fully recognized in climate negotiations until
recently. This is why Slovenia included the nexus among the priorities of its water
diplomacy. Slovenia was among the most avid proponents of including water into the
UNFCCC COP outcome documents. We contributed to the breakthrough achieved at COP27 in Sharm El Sheikh where the relevance of water-related ecosystems for
climate adaptation was finally recognized in the Outcome Document. We were actively engaged also at COP28 in Dubai. We were partners of the COP28 Water Pavilion and our delegation, including the President, participated in several high-level event related to water and climate.
While the role of water and water-related ecosystems in climate adaptation has now
been recognized, we are still falling short when it comes to recognizing their role in
climate mitigation. Both are relevant not just in terms of calibrating our climate action
accordingly, but also in terms of securing necessary funding for water from climate
finance.

Rajni Vohra: Can you share any examples of successful international collaborations or
initiatives led by Slovenia that have contributed to water security in Europe or globally?
Tanja Miškova: Slovenia initiated the EU Council Conclusions on Water in EU’s  External Action
(2021) which provide political commitment of the EU on global water security in its
humanitarian, development and peace action.
Together with like-minded countries and organizations, we made sure transboundary
water cooperation was on the agenda of the UN 2023 Water Conference, quite an
uphill battle during the preparatory process. Slovenia was one of the first countries to
join the Transboundary Water Cooperation Coalition whose initial aim was to secure
commitments on cross-border cooperation for the Water Action Agenda at the
Conference.
The collaboration Slovenia can be truly proud of is the establishment of the Global
Alliance for Sparing Water from Armed Conflict in partnership with Switzerland and
Geneva Water Hub. The Alliance was launched in May this year together with
Senegal, Costa Rica, Panama, Indonesia, the Philippines, UNICEF and Pax. The
Alliance aims to ensure greater compliance with International Law, better inform on
the impacts of attacks on water, and increase pre-conflict preparedness and
resilience of water infrastructure and essential services through strengthened
collaboration among humanitarian, development and peace actors.

Rajni Vohra: How can water diplomacy be used as a tool to promote gender equality,
particularly in regions where women are disproportionately affected by water scarcity
and management issues?
Tanja Miškova: Slovenia is engaged in two initiatives that subscribe to this particular mission. Multi-stakeholder Coalition for Gender Equality in the Water Domain and its Call to Action, established by UNESCO WWAP, focuses on five key areas:
– promoting gender-equal funding,
– bridging the gap between policy and practice,
– fostering women’s leadership,
– challenging harmful social norms, and
– using sex-disaggregated data to inform water policies.

Slovenia, a member of the coalition, supports its online platform, which serves as a
repository of resources, best practices, and collaborative opportunities related to
gender equality in water.
Global Network of Women in Water Diplomacy authored a guidance on
mainstreaming gender equality in transboundary mechanisms. The network provides
a valuable avenue for exchange of experience, good practices and mentorship
opportunities for women water diplomats from the Nile Basin, South Africa, and
Central Asian  Afghanistan.
In coherence with our Women, Peace and Security agenda, Slovenia advocates for
meaningfully including women in environmental peacebuilding efforts and in water
governance. Our Peace Operations Training Centre conducts a course on Gender
Equality and Gender Mainstreaming in Peace Operations and Missions.
We recently joined the WASH Road Map initiative and its Call to Action, to contribute
to its efforts on access to water and sanitation in humanitarian contexts.
We don’t just talk: we also walk the talk. Our Development Cooperation projects
focus on water-scarce regions. Most of our projects in sub-Saharan Africa have as
their primary aim equitable access to WASH and empowerment of women.

Rajni Vohra: As water becomes an increasingly contested resource, what do you see as the
key priorities for global water diplomacy in the next decade? How is Slovenia
preparing to address these challenges?
Tanja Miškova: Two thirds of watercourses cross national boundaries and one third still lack
cooperative frameworks. This gap is even starker when it comes to transboundary
groundwater bodies and wetlands; only a handful benefit from cooperative
agreements. Therefore, our priority number one is promoting transboundary water
cooperation. We are one of the most active members of the Transboundary Water
Cooperation Coalition and one of the most active parties to the UN Water
Convention. We will be hosting the 10 th Meeting of the Parties of the Convention 23-
25 October in Ljubljana. As a water-rich upstream country that practices effective
transboundary cooperation, and knows from experience water cooperation can be a
conduit to peace, we feel we have special obligation to promote its benefits.
Another priority remains keeping water high on the global agenda as a prerequisite
for accelerated and coordinated action. There are several avenues for that:
– Holding regular high-level intergovernmental UN conferences on water; the
next one will be in December 2026 in the UAE. Unfortunately, it will not have a
negotiated outcome. Our aim is for the following conferences to have one.
Another challenge remains how to bring other sectors to the table. Slovenia
will be engaged in the preparatory process for the 2026 conference to
strengthen the progressive agenda and action on water.
– Ensuring effective global water governance with a strategic and coordinated
approach. This entails an improved, less fragmented governance at the UN
level. The recently adopted UN System-wide Strategy on Water is a good step
in this vein. We look forward to the action plans and will closely follow their
implementation.

We need a strong international voice on water; a UN Special Envoy on Water has finally been appointed. This will add to the coherence of UN efforts, give the voice to those most in need, and help mobilize necessary political will and finance. We will continue to remind our UN interlocutors of the outstanding cross-regional support this initiative enjoys. The worrying trend of weaponization of water needs to be reversed. We will stay intensely engaged towards this goal, including through the activities of the Global Alliance.

Rajni Vohra:  Thank you taking the time to share your valuable insights. Your deep knowledge  and passion for water sustainability truly resonated with us and will undoubtedly inspire many others.