President of Women for Water Partnership Mariet Verhoef- Cohen on GWD Conference
Prior to the GWD conference WfWP will be interviewing interesting participants of the conference to share their inspiring and fascinating stories. The President of Women for Water Partnership Mariet Verhoef- Cohen tells us about her involvement in gender, water and development.
As the New President of WfWP how do you anticipate your role during the conference?
For me it will be a new experience. During the Conference I will preside over my first official Steering Committee meeting, my first General Assembly and then WfWP will be the co-host in the Gender Water Development Conference – the Untapped Connection.
As President of WfWP I will advocate women as agents of change! That is what WfWP is all about. To show all participants that through water women can help alleviate poverty. Instead of seeing women as water carriers, they should be the water managers. WfWP empowers women and their communities through water, education and capacity building so they’ll achieve the next level up.
Could you describe a few highlights of your career in gender, water and development?
As Federation President of Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE) my theme was ‘Soroptimists Go for Water’. The emphasis was on sustainable development and empowerment of women through our motto - awareness, advocacy but mainly action. In a period of 3 years we managed to implement two million euro in projects on safe drinking water and basic sanitation in countries of our SIE federation. Our members joined forces and helped the afflicted countries and areas with their water projects, so that women are empowered. At the same time development, health and capacity building were improved at the same time as everything is linked to water.
What is it that unites women of the WfWP network?
All our Member Organisations realise that Women are the Agents of Change and we all see that women should get the opportunity to show this to the world. The best way to achieve this is through the dynamic networking methodology of WfWP. We build functional partnerships around women’s initiatives and enable them to jointly create tailor-made solutions to address their most pressing needs. That is how WfWP unites women’s leadership and this unites our Member Organisations.
How would you see gender equality in the water sector in 10 years?
Change is in the air! I notice this everywhere I go. So it is a matter of time that the world does realise that cooperating with women and offering opportunities to women is the way forward. So I am very optimistic. Together, men and women, will make the dream of gender equality a reality.
Could you tell us some more on your session you will be holding at the GWD?
This will be an interactive session on the Monday afternoon before the official opening of the conference. The title is - Women for Water: Agents of Change - A tangible Women Water Fund for a sustainable future.
A specific proposal for action was made at the High Level International Conference on Water Cooperation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. WfWP proposed on the basis of the outcome of the Gender Forum, a Women for Water Fund to enable women’ s meaningful participation in decision making at all levels.
This will not be another UN Fund, but WfWP will ensure that this would be a Fund to provide leverage for women’s civil society groups themselves to act out their central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water as outlined in Dublin Principle 3.
It is necessary to create a Women for Water Fund to support women projects and programs in water management, with a scholarship fund to support the training of women water professionals.
Women organisations do not get the funding to join important meetings like the one in Dushanbe to influence policy in international policy processes, or to organise high profile women’s pre-conferences at main international water event. Lobby & advocacy is an essential element of WfWP’s work to ensure that the local reality is taken on board by policy & decision makers and science and technology. And to be able to achieve this, women need to play a role in these meetings.
Do you expect that the outcomes of the GWD will affect (future) WfWP goals?
WfWP gives women a voice to influence policy and be part of decision-making at all levels, from the international policy arena through national level to the direct environment women live in. I am convinced that we will continue to achieve this goal. With the outcome of the GWD we hope to make a quantum leap.
Prior to the GWD conference WfWP will be interviewing interesting participants of the conference to share their inspiring and fascinating stories. The President of Women for Water Partnership Mariet Verhoef- Cohen tells us about her involvement in gender, water and development.
As the New President of WfWP how do you anticipate your role during the conference?
For me it will be a new experience. During the Conference I will preside over my first official Steering Committee meeting, my first General Assembly and then WfWP will be the co-host in the Gender Water Development Conference – the Untapped Connection.
As President of WfWP I will advocate women as agents of change! That is what WfWP is all about. To show all participants that through water women can help alleviate poverty. Instead of seeing women as water carriers, they should be the water managers. WfWP empowers women and their communities through water, education and capacity building so they’ll achieve the next level up.
Could you describe a few highlights of your career in gender, water and development?
As Federation President of Soroptimist International of Europe (SIE) my theme was ‘Soroptimists Go for Water’. The emphasis was on sustainable development and empowerment of women through our motto - awareness, advocacy but mainly action. In a period of 3 years we managed to implement two million euro in projects on safe drinking water and basic sanitation in countries of our SIE federation. Our members joined forces and helped the afflicted countries and areas with their water projects, so that women are empowered. At the same time development, health and capacity building were improved at the same time as everything is linked to water.
What is it that unites women of the WfWP network?
All our Member Organisations realise that Women are the Agents of Change and we all see that women should get the opportunity to show this to the world. The best way to achieve this is through the dynamic networking methodology of WfWP. We build functional partnerships around women’s initiatives and enable them to jointly create tailor-made solutions to address their most pressing needs. That is how WfWP unites women’s leadership and this unites our Member Organisations.
How would you see gender equality in the water sector in 10 years?
Change is in the air! I notice this everywhere I go. So it is a matter of time that the world does realise that cooperating with women and offering opportunities to women is the way forward. So I am very optimistic. Together, men and women, will make the dream of gender equality a reality.
Could you tell us some more on your session you will be holding at the GWD?
This will be an interactive session on the Monday afternoon before the official opening of the conference. The title is - Women for Water: Agents of Change - A tangible Women Water Fund for a sustainable future.
A specific proposal for action was made at the High Level International Conference on Water Cooperation in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. WfWP proposed on the basis of the outcome of the Gender Forum, a Women for Water Fund to enable women’ s meaningful participation in decision making at all levels.
This will not be another UN Fund, but WfWP will ensure that this would be a Fund to provide leverage for women’s civil society groups themselves to act out their central role in the provision, management and safeguarding of water as outlined in Dublin Principle 3.
It is necessary to create a Women for Water Fund to support women projects and programs in water management, with a scholarship fund to support the training of women water professionals.
Women organisations do not get the funding to join important meetings like the one in Dushanbe to influence policy in international policy processes, or to organise high profile women’s pre-conferences at main international water event. Lobby & advocacy is an essential element of WfWP’s work to ensure that the local reality is taken on board by policy & decision makers and science and technology. And to be able to achieve this, women need to play a role in these meetings.
Do you expect that the outcomes of the GWD will affect (future) WfWP goals?
WfWP gives women a voice to influence policy and be part of decision-making at all levels, from the international policy arena through national level to the direct environment women live in. I am convinced that we will continue to achieve this goal. With the outcome of the GWD we hope to make a quantum leap.
