The Global Water Partnership (GWP) has released its Gender Strategy, which aims to mainstream gender into GWP's work through an overarching framework on gender- and women- inclusive approaches.
The Strategy includes three strategic goals: catalyze change in policies and practice; generate and communicate knowledge; and strengthen partnerships.
10 July 2014: The Global Water Partnership (GWP) has released its Gender Strategy, which aims to mainstream gender into GWP’s work through an overarching framework on gender- and women- inclusive approaches. The Strategy includes three strategic goals: catalyze change in policies and practice; generate and communicate knowledge; and strengthen partnerships.
On catalyzing change in policies and practice, the Strategy discusses gender mainstreaming in integrated water resources management (IWRM) policies, planning and implementation, noting that GWP works to catalyze change towards a water secure world through its work with governments and institutions on sustainable water governance. GWP highlights commitments it made at the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) to, inter alia: support at least 30 countries to develop, monitor, report and evaluate gender mainstreaming policies in water resources management; encourage and support governments, water agencies, NGOs and others to institutionalize and integrate gender perspectives in work on the ground; and continue to address inter-generational dimensions for long-term sustainability by developing strategies and tools to engage children and youth in water governance processes at all levels. As part of this goal, GWP also states its commitment to continue to work with the African Ministers’ Council on Water (AMCOW) on mainstreaming gender in the water sector in Africa.
On generating and communicating knowledge, GWP discusses its knowledge communication, such as its ‘Knowledge Chain,’ which supports the GWP Network with information on several areas, including women and water, and the GWP Toolbox, an online resource that includes guidelines, good practices and tools. It also highlights its role in supporting the development of gender-disaggregated indicators and data on water.
On strengthening partnerships, the Strategy describes the GWP African Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs) and the GWP Regional and Country Water Partnerships (CWPs) and how these partnerships will work towards gender mainstreaming and women-inclusive stakeholder participation.
The Strategy also discusses the role of women in achieving a water secure world; gender, water and sustainable development; and the role of women in participatory water governance.
GWP will launch this strategy at the 2014 Stockholm Water Week. The Gender Strategy is in line with GWP’s overall ‘Strategy Towards 2020: A Water Secure World,’ which promotes gender equality as a cross-cutting and key process in achieving GWP’s overall mission and vision, as well as its support of the Dublin Principle 3, which states that women play a central role in providing, managing and safeguarding water resources. [GWP Press Release] [Publication: GWP Gender Strategy]