here - European Water Partnership

Solutions and commitments from the Women’s High Level
Special Session at World Water Forum 6: On the Catwalk –
Women Leadership in Water: Presenting new thinking – new challenges.
Wednesday, March 14th, 8.30 – 10.30 at PEu5 - Europa 5, PRADO
On the Catwalk to effective water governance and sustainable livelihood, nine
women and two men presented the following key messages and solutions
coming out of the women’s preconference to the 6th World Water Forum:
1. Let us move from talking to action
Le moment est venu de passer du discours à l’action
Solution:
MDG 9 – Half by the year 2015, all water and development
related fora and conferences.
Put all the money that is saved herewith into a Women and
Water Development Fund.
2. Needs-based approach! We know the what, involve us in the
how!
Une approche basée sur les besoins!
Nous savons tout du pourquoi. Laissez-nous prendre part au
comment!
Solution:
Move from consultation to participation.
Put women’s civil society groups at the centre of needs
assessment process.
3. Empower women to play central role in the provision,
management and safeguarding of water!
Permettons aux femmes de jouer un rôle central en matière
d’approvisionnement, de gestion et de conservation de l’eau!
Solution:
Implement Dublin Principle 3.
Empower women through water and sanitation and they will
move on to integrated community development.
4. Sustainability of watsan provision and management is a social
issue, not a technical issue!
La durabilité de l’approvisionnement et de la gestion en
eau/assainissement est un problème social, pas technique!
Solution:
Organize local community involvement and use existing civil
society mechanism as a network.
5. Involve us as opportunities for rapid change! Promote women’s
leadership!
Nous représentons vos chances pour un changement rapide,
impliquez-nous! Promouvons le leadership féminin!
Solution:
Give women access to knowledge and resources to make
informed decisions and be leaders in their own communities’
development.
6. Dare to let go and delegate responsibility to local level!
Osons lâcher du lest est déléguer les responsabilités à l’échelle
locale!
Solution:
Women hold the keys to their communities’ development.
Support their organizations and decentralized water
governance will take effect.
7. In times of crisis, put your money where your mouth is!
En temps de crise, réservons l’argent pour l’alimentation!
Solution:
Fund locally owned successful projects that have potential of
up-scaling to ensure sustainability.
8. From policies to implementation, the principal actors change!
Des réglementations à leur mise en application, les principaux
acteurs changent!
Solution:
Take us on board to accelerate and meet the water-related
internationally agreed development goals. 2013 International
Year of Water Cooperation is good moment to start.
9. Create a gender sensitive cadre of young water professionals!
Solution:
Include community and gender issues in water curricula at all
levels!
Incluons les questions de communauté et de genre dans le
débat sur l’eau à tous les niveaux!
COMMITMENTS FROM THE HIGH LEVEL SESSION:
The Women for Water Partnership, the participants of the Women’s
Preconference to the 6th World Water Forum, and the members of the
High Level Panel,
¾ Hon. Maria Mutagamba, Minister of Environment and Water,
Uganda;
¾ Hon. Rejoyce Mubadafhasi, Deputy Minister of Water and
Enviromental Affairs, South Africa;
¾ Mrs. Famke Janssen, Ambassador Green Cross;
¾ Mrs. Odile Gauthier, Director Water and Biodiversity, Ministry of
Ecology, France;
¾ Mrs. Lee Hae Keyong, Director Korea Women Development Forum;
¾ Mr. Donald Steinberg, Head of US Mission to the Forum, Deputy
Administrator USAID;
¾ Mrs. Célestine Courtès Ketcha, Mayor of Bangangte, Cameroon.
committed themselves to be partners in achieving water and food security
for all and to implement the solutions above. To that effect together we
will:
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Empower women as agents of change;
Strengthen women’s organisations and their role in community
development;
Develop and strengthen gender sensitisation for governments and water
professionals;
Strengthen intergenerational equity;
Work towards the establishment of an International Women and Water
Day;
Monitor progress and report to global fora.
About Women for Water Partnership:
WfWP consists of 24 women’s networks and their subsidiaries which operate in
approximately 100 countries in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, the EECCA
region and Western Europe. WfWP focuses on women’s social and economic
development by fulfilling basic water and sanitation needs. The network emphasizes on
empowerment, local ownership, equity mainstreaming, partnership, and grassroots
development.
Contact during the Forum:
Alice Bouman-Dentener, Kusum Athukorala and Lesha Witmer via:
[email protected] or +31 653391309.
WfWP is a member of
the Butterfly Effect.
WfWP’s events at the
6th World Water Forum
are sponsored by i.a.: