Speakers at HLPF 2018 side event on women and water:
Are Women meaningfully involved in implementing SDG 6+ in the national plans?
Ms Uschi Eid is Former Chair of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB). Currently she is honorary professor at Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences. During two periods of her career she was Member of the German Bundestag, initially serving as Development Policy Spokeswoman of the Green Parliamentary Group and Vice-Chair of the Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development. Later she was Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Foreign Cultural Policy Spokeswoman of her Parliamentary Group.
Pamela Tshwete
Since May 2014, Deputy minister of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of the Republic of South Africa. Prior to joining the new Department, Ms Tshwete served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. Here she worked tirelessly to provide land and farming resources to women in disadvantaged rural communities. Currently, she holds various senior positions in the African National Congress. The Deputy Minister’s areas of political interest are in support of access to water, dignified sanitation, and the intersection between social development and public health care. The Deputy Minister’s vision for the Department of Water and Sanitation is to provide coordinated provision of water and sanitation services to underprivileged communities.
Ms Mina Guli
Is representing the delegation of Australia to the HLPF. She is a leading advocate and runs to raise awareness and inspire action around the global water crisis. For example in 2016 she ran 40 marathons across 7 deserts on 7 continents– to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water). Mina is an acclaimed public speaker and frequent media commentator, featuring in over 400 local, national and global media around the world including CNN, BBC , Al Jazeera. Now in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, Mina is planning her next expedition – to run 100 marathons in 100 days for 1reason: water.
Thomas Stratenwerth represents Germany and works at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in various functions and responsibilities. Currently he is Head of the Unit, General, International and European Aspects of Water Management German Water Director since 2014. Since 2007 also Chair of the Inter Ministerial Working Group on Adaptation to Climate Change responsible for coordinating the German Government´s overall Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.
Carmen Marques Ruiz is the policy coordinator on environment and water at the European External Action Service and she joined the European Commission in 1987, working in development policy. As a European official she has worked in foreign policy in different regions (Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus and Latin America) and topics (legal and institutional matters, human rights and democracy, climate change). In the eighties she was a teaching assistant of International Law at Valencia University
Niels Vlaanderen Represents the Netherlands and works at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in various functions. Currently he is Coordinator International Water Affairs.
Lesha Witmer is a member of the Steering Committee of Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) with the portfolio “Advocacy” She represents two members of WfWP: Business and Professional Women International and VAM foundation (Women and Labour Market).
She is a senior consultant in the field of women, water and its governance and a Board member of several international organisations such as Climate is Water Campaign, European Pact for Water, Butterfly Effect, International Standard Development Committee for Water Stewardship.
Seemin Qayum is senior policy advisor sustainable development at UN Women based in New York
Mariet Verhoef-Cohen is the president of Women for Water Partnership as well as of Soroptimist International. She is founder and owner of Bacolet Translations BV and co-chair of the Water Scarcity in Agriculture Platform WASAG as well as a member of the Supervisory Board of Catent, a foundation of several schools in Zwolle The Netherlands. She is Officer in the Royal Order of Oranje Nassau and Knight in the National Order of the Republic of Madagascar.
Are Women meaningfully involved in implementing SDG 6+ in the national plans?
Ms Uschi Eid is Former Chair of the United Nations Secretary General’s Advisory Board on Water and Sanitation (UNSGAB). Currently she is honorary professor at Osnabruck University of Applied Sciences. During two periods of her career she was Member of the German Bundestag, initially serving as Development Policy Spokeswoman of the Green Parliamentary Group and Vice-Chair of the Committee for Economic Cooperation and Development. Later she was Member of the Foreign Affairs Committee and Foreign Cultural Policy Spokeswoman of her Parliamentary Group.
Pamela Tshwete
Since May 2014, Deputy minister of the Ministry of Water and Sanitation of the Republic of South Africa. Prior to joining the new Department, Ms Tshwete served as Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform. Here she worked tirelessly to provide land and farming resources to women in disadvantaged rural communities. Currently, she holds various senior positions in the African National Congress. The Deputy Minister’s areas of political interest are in support of access to water, dignified sanitation, and the intersection between social development and public health care. The Deputy Minister’s vision for the Department of Water and Sanitation is to provide coordinated provision of water and sanitation services to underprivileged communities.
Ms Mina Guli
Is representing the delegation of Australia to the HLPF. She is a leading advocate and runs to raise awareness and inspire action around the global water crisis. For example in 2016 she ran 40 marathons across 7 deserts on 7 continents– to promote the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6 (water). Mina is an acclaimed public speaker and frequent media commentator, featuring in over 400 local, national and global media around the world including CNN, BBC , Al Jazeera. Now in partnership with the United Nations Development Program, Mina is planning her next expedition – to run 100 marathons in 100 days for 1reason: water.
Thomas Stratenwerth represents Germany and works at the Federal Ministry for Environment, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety in various functions and responsibilities. Currently he is Head of the Unit, General, International and European Aspects of Water Management German Water Director since 2014. Since 2007 also Chair of the Inter Ministerial Working Group on Adaptation to Climate Change responsible for coordinating the German Government´s overall Strategy for Adaptation to Climate Change.
Carmen Marques Ruiz is the policy coordinator on environment and water at the European External Action Service and she joined the European Commission in 1987, working in development policy. As a European official she has worked in foreign policy in different regions (Africa, Eastern Europe, Central Asia, Caucasus and Latin America) and topics (legal and institutional matters, human rights and democracy, climate change). In the eighties she was a teaching assistant of International Law at Valencia University
Niels Vlaanderen Represents the Netherlands and works at the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management in various functions. Currently he is Coordinator International Water Affairs.
Lesha Witmer is a member of the Steering Committee of Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) with the portfolio “Advocacy” She represents two members of WfWP: Business and Professional Women International and VAM foundation (Women and Labour Market).
She is a senior consultant in the field of women, water and its governance and a Board member of several international organisations such as Climate is Water Campaign, European Pact for Water, Butterfly Effect, International Standard Development Committee for Water Stewardship.
Seemin Qayum is senior policy advisor sustainable development at UN Women based in New York
Mariet Verhoef-Cohen is the president of Women for Water Partnership as well as of Soroptimist International. She is founder and owner of Bacolet Translations BV and co-chair of the Water Scarcity in Agriculture Platform WASAG as well as a member of the Supervisory Board of Catent, a foundation of several schools in Zwolle The Netherlands. She is Officer in the Royal Order of Oranje Nassau and Knight in the National Order of the Republic of Madagascar.
