Mainstreaming Gender in Intergrated Water Resources Management Strategies and Plans: Practical Steps for Practitioners

Abstract

"The water sector has been a pioneer in putting gender mainstreaming approaches into place at the program level in the area of domestic water supply and sanitation. Water professionals were among the first to realize that community development projects that failed to take into consideration the reality of women’s lives—their roles, responsibilities, sources of power, needs and aspirations—were themselves doomed to failure. Now is the time to expand this understanding beyond community water supply and sanitation and to move it 'upstream' to the development of Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) plans and strategies as called for by the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation and reinforced by the 2005 World Summit. "This brief is designed to provide water professionals with an overview of how to mainstream gender in the development of integrated water resources management strategies and plans. A companion brief for policy makers is also available."