Water and Gender in Brazil and Latin America

On the 25th – 27th of October, 2017 the National Water Agency of Brazil ANA) invited experts from Brazil and other Latin-American countries to discuss the way forward towards gender-sensitive and women-inclusive water governance.

I was commissioned to conduct the workshop and provide recommendations for ANA, taking into consideration the workshop deliberations.

The workshop concluded that Dublin Principle 3 on the central role of Women in the provision, management and safeguarding of water is the ‘neglected child’ of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM). Implementation of this principle was considered key to delivering on SDG6 through an all-of-society engagement and partnership. It needs a long-term strategic approach that is carried through by strong and committed leadership, a medium-term action program that is consistent, informed by research and data, and that addresses the priorities of the different states, (sub)basins and communities; and high profile quick wins to sensitize politicians and the public at large. There was consensus on diversity of gender roles and there was caution to not consider gender parity in numbers as the main indicator for achieving Dublin Principle 3. The intersectionality of gender has to be taken into account and empowerment of grassroots women to raise their voice in public has to be actively pursued so that water and development discussions and decisions become truly gender sensitive.

Sharing and Caring for Water, Durban

Participatory water governance is practiced successfully in South Africa at different levels. The eThekwini municipality of Durban and the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA), winners of the 2015 Water for Life Decade best practice award and member of the Global Participatory Water Management Network organized the Sharing and Caring for Water conference  in Durban, South Africa to discuss pathways to participative and cooperative water governance. The program included a selection of good practices across Southern Africa, linking local practice to global concerns.

The conference highlighted that water security requires all custodians to be equally committed and underpinned the importance government support to facilitate  collaboration. An executive summary of the conference proceedings is available here.

The conference also had the objective to carry the voices of Africa to the World Water Forum 8 in Brazil. I delivered the keynote speech as member of the Citizens Commission of World Water Forum 8. You can view the presentation outline here.

The Global Participatory Water Management Network visited Envirosan Waterless Sanitation Solutions.

Citizen’s Process World Water Forum 8

World Water Forum 8 has responded to the call for an ‘all-of-society engagement and partnership’ to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals, by adding a Citizens Forum to the regular World Water Forum processes. The main objective of the Citizen Process is: “To develop and stimulate actions that promote the qualified participation of the Civil Society in the discussions and activities of the 8th World Water Forum, leaving a legacy of their contributions for the management of water resources of the planet”.

During the Second Stakeholder Meeting of 26 and 27 April, 2017 in Brasilia, I was invited to join the World Water Forum 8 Citizens Commission as focal point for Women and liaison with the regional processes.