August 2012: The World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP), housed by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), released an addendum to the gender chapter of 4th World Water Development Report (WWDR4) reflecting discussions at the Sixth World Water Forum, held in March 2012, and the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20), held in June 2012.

The addendum emphasizes the challenges posed by competing water uses, scarcity and urbanization for women, and notes that the impacts of scarcity are likely to exacerbate inequitable access for poor women to water resources.

The addendum identifies three areas of suggested action, in addition to those already outlined in WWDR4 Chapter 35: mainstreaming gender considerations into water governance; improving women’s access to water and other productive resources; and enhancing capacities of men and women to understand and address gender differences and concerns in water management. [Publication: Addendum to the United Nations World Water Development Report 4, Chapter 35, “Water and Gender”] [Publication: 4th edition of the UN World Water Development Report (WWDR4)]