Views on progress, best practices and lessons learned during the
​International decade for Action ‘Water for Life’ 2005 – 2015

Intervention Alice Bouman-Dentener, Honorary Founding President Women for Water Partnership.

1. Review Water for Life Decade
   As women’s civil society we are most pleased with the resolution that calls for a comprehensive review of the Water for Life Decade.
   Not only to demonstrate what we have jointly achieved. What is far more important: to gain insight in what has held us back to achieve even more.
2. Because the challenge of achieving universal access and sustainable water governance is still out there. As stakeholders, we have common but differentiated responsibilities to make it happen.
   
   I thank UNW-DPAC for giving me the opportunity to talk about the role of the Major Group Women in this process.
   
   
3. What has changed for women over the Decade period
   There are two aspects: What have women GAINED; and what have women ACHIEVED.
   The Water for Life Decade emphasized the importance of women’s participation in water projects and programmes, my focus is therefore on what women have ACHIEVED in the course of the Decade.
   
   
4. What have women gained
   • With respect to gender disparity in access to safe water and adequate sanitation: we are fully aware that the gender gap persists; and we will continue to fight for gender equality.
     But that aspect is not on the top of our agenda in WfWP.
     Access to water and sanitation is a human right.
     So we go for universal access, addressing specifically those areas that are difficult to reach: the rural-urban disparities; and of course, in rural areas of developing countries gender disparity is most prominent.
   • A very important gain for us is that women’s role in realising access is truly acknowledged and that it is increasingly practised at national and, most important, also at local level.
     We are no longer perceived solely as the vulnerable, the disadvantaged…
     Women and women’s civil society are increasingly seen as actors in the development process, as agents of change; and we see more and more examples where women’s civil society is included as an equal partner in water cooperation.
     I would like to mention specifically the contributions of the DPAC office here in Zaragoza, who have, in line with the Decade objectives, actively pursued women’s meaningful participation and facilitated women’s civil society to articulate their views and needs in the international arena as an equal partner.
     The civil society pillar of this conference is a case in point.
   • Women’s civil society has been strengthened; in some countries more than in others. And where there is a strong women’s organisation dealing with water and sanitation issues, meaningful progress is reported.
     
     
5. What have women achieved:
   • I dare say that the acknowledgement of women’s role and the strengthening of women’s civil society is to a large extent our own achievement as women’s Major Group. Women for Water Partnership was founded especially for that purpose: to unite existing women’s networks and organisations on the gender-water-development nexus cutting across thematic, national, sectoral and cultural boundaries. To give women a voice, a space to exchange and inform themselves, and above all, the means to grow to their full capacity.
     I duly acknowledge the contributions of UN Agencies, national governments, local authorities, water sector and other entities who have partnered with us and supported us in this process.
   • The contributions of individual women’s organisations to the Water for Life Decade are many. And they are quite diverse, ranging from knowledge and capacity development, awareness raising on water risks, or contributing to the development of policies and legal and institutional frameworks in their countries, to implementing water and sanitation provisions for their communities, or developing climate resilient agriculture, payment for ecosystem services schemes etc.
     If I would have to single out 1 contribution that is quite unique: women’s role in building local ownership and organising community engagement. This is a capacity that is intrinsic to the social capital of women’s civil society.
     In those instances where there has been proper investment in strengthening women’s civil society, those women have transformed their communities.
     The case of the Tegemeo Women Group of Mweteni, Tanzania that is included in the conference materials is one of many, but an excellent example of how community ownership works.
     
     
6. Challenges and Lessons Learnt:
   • Working on the water-gender-development interface as women’s civil society in a rural setting has many challenges related to traditional gender roles and stereotypes. The best way to change the mind set is to show the added value of involving women’s civil society to governments and local leadership.
   • A major challenge is: adequate financing for social empowerment. This is not very sexy for donors. It is a long-term process, you do not see immediate result. And it is not easily quantifiable.
     We learnt that investing in strengthening civil society pays off many times.
     I refer you to the civil society concept note: < 1% of total investments in water and sanitation go to training and education. If we took at the overall development budget: women’s civil society receives also less than 1%. If you look at a recent audit of EU watsan projects in Sub-saharan Africa, and see how many projects did not reach the beneficiaries, it might be worth while to pre-invest in strengthening civil society. It will also provide a solid base for up-scaling.
   • Informing local actors adequately is also a major challenge. Knowledge is power. And informed people take better decisions.