Implementing SDG5 & 6 together: Access to and control over natural resources and especially water as key factor for women’s empowerment and equality
Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, President Women for Water Partnership, was one of the panelist during the side event “Making it Happen” in New York in the framework of the UN Summit that approved the Sustainable Development Goals and the transformative agenda for 2030.
“Women are key stakeholders in water policies and programmes, however not always recognized as such. Men and women express different priorities, needs. Women play important roles to preserve water sources. Without safe, uninterrupted, affordable provision of water and gender-responsive sanitation, women’s and girls’ health is at risk. Therefore quality of water resources is vital. Not only to prevent illnesses but also when taking care of sick people. Aditionally women spend a lot of time on fetching water” she said.
Other issues Ms. Verhoef-Cohen highlighted:
“Women are experts, leaders and agents of change in the water-sustainable development nexus, thus playing important roles in achieving equitable access to water for all and all uses including sanitation. Therefore, it is effective to include women at all levels of decision making by setting quota of at least 40% women in water governing bodies and ensure their voices are actually heard; and by involving them in designing, implementing, evaluating programs and projects in the field of water and sustainable development….”.
Another crucial element is to enhance women’s professional involvement in water management, also through technical and vocational education and training for women. Treatment of waste water and minimizing the pollution of our waters is high on our agenda because of the impact chemicals and hormones (can) have especially on women.
Transboundary cooperation is something that is highly valued by women’s organizations.
For all of these issues, we would like to see a much stronger emphasis on sex-disaggregated water data-collection to understand gender roles in safeguarding water resources and sharing water among human kind. Indicators should be designed so they “ invite” disaggregated data collection both at national and international level on gender, income and age. In the design of M&E, data collected and collection by major groups should be incorporated.
It is essential that all major groups are being included in the governance and coordination mechanism like the High-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) and of course around reviewing SDG5 (gender equality and empowering women and girls) and 6 (clean water and sanitation) to ensure that they are being heard and acknowledged.
It is crucial that funding reaches civil society directly, and data on that keeps being collected to record who the real beneficiaries are.
And last but not least: we are requesting all member states to endorse an International Year on Water and Women in 2017.
The “new SDG agenda underlines a strong commitment to reduce inequalities within and between countries, to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to review disaggregated data to ‘reach the furthest behind first’ ” She concluded.
Mariet Verhoef-Cohen, President Women for Water Partnership, was one of the panelist during the side event “Making it Happen” in New York in the framework of the UN Summit that approved the Sustainable Development Goals and the transformative agenda for 2030.
“Women are key stakeholders in water policies and programmes, however not always recognized as such. Men and women express different priorities, needs. Women play important roles to preserve water sources. Without safe, uninterrupted, affordable provision of water and gender-responsive sanitation, women’s and girls’ health is at risk. Therefore quality of water resources is vital. Not only to prevent illnesses but also when taking care of sick people. Aditionally women spend a lot of time on fetching water” she said.
Other issues Ms. Verhoef-Cohen highlighted:
“Women are experts, leaders and agents of change in the water-sustainable development nexus, thus playing important roles in achieving equitable access to water for all and all uses including sanitation. Therefore, it is effective to include women at all levels of decision making by setting quota of at least 40% women in water governing bodies and ensure their voices are actually heard; and by involving them in designing, implementing, evaluating programs and projects in the field of water and sustainable development….”.
Another crucial element is to enhance women’s professional involvement in water management, also through technical and vocational education and training for women. Treatment of waste water and minimizing the pollution of our waters is high on our agenda because of the impact chemicals and hormones (can) have especially on women.
Transboundary cooperation is something that is highly valued by women’s organizations.
For all of these issues, we would like to see a much stronger emphasis on sex-disaggregated water data-collection to understand gender roles in safeguarding water resources and sharing water among human kind. Indicators should be designed so they “ invite” disaggregated data collection both at national and international level on gender, income and age. In the design of M&E, data collected and collection by major groups should be incorporated.
It is essential that all major groups are being included in the governance and coordination mechanism like the High-level political forum on sustainable development (HLPF) and of course around reviewing SDG5 (gender equality and empowering women and girls) and 6 (clean water and sanitation) to ensure that they are being heard and acknowledged.
It is crucial that funding reaches civil society directly, and data on that keeps being collected to record who the real beneficiaries are.
And last but not least: we are requesting all member states to endorse an International Year on Water and Women in 2017.
The “new SDG agenda underlines a strong commitment to reduce inequalities within and between countries, to eliminate all forms of discrimination and to review disaggregated data to ‘reach the furthest behind first’ ” She concluded.
