UNESCO's water family
Resources
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Background
This project aims at improving the quality of life of women in rural and urban areas in Sub-Saharan African countries, by facilitating their access to water resources and by improving water resources management. The project is both a follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing 1995) and a reinforcement of UNESCO's action in favour of women. During the four year period (1996-2000) its main objectives have been the implementation of national and regional policies to facilitate women's involvement in water resources development programmes, the organization of training courses at national and at regional level, the publication of learning material, the development of studies and research. Today, it aims to disseminate and share this information, and to spread a message of peace based on a fair distribution of water.
Women and water
Water is the source of life and human civilization. The future of the world depends on the use we make of this finite and vulnerable resource today. It is necessary to promote a new attitude to water, based not only on scientific knowledge, but also on cultural and ethical values.
Over the years, women have accumulated an impressive store of environmental wisdom. Women have always been the ones to find water, choosing their sources according to certain criteria such as accessibility, availability, distance, time, quality and use. This is why the Special Project encourages studies on women's traditional knowledge. Women's knowledge and experience in the supply and use of water is invaluable, and many problems could be avoided if women were consulted on such items as local sources of water, the location of a well or the design of a pump. At present, the special needs of women are rarely taken into account when implementing sanitation projects.
Changing attitudes
Just as other environmental issues must be viewed in a holistic manner, so water issues have to be tackled in an integrated fashion and co-operation between other sectors and organizations must be encouraged. The UNESCO Special Project advocates an open dialogue between water resources, social sciences and gender specialists in order to develop a gender approach to the management of water resources. Part of the strategy to achieve this goal is the creation of a network to facilitate the sharing of information, available data and methodologies.
Experience has proved that when Ministries of Water Resources and Environment implicate the Ministries of women's Affairs in their projects, problems are considered from different angles thereby adapting them to the real needs of the community. With this in mind, IHP has brought together, for workshops and seminars held in Africa, experts from the different Ministries in order to facilitate the exchange of ideas between women and men responsible for the management of water resources. There is often a lack of communication at the national level between the different institutions involved in this field.
However, gender issues should not focus on women alone, the sharing of responsibilities will benefit men as well as women. Just as women need to be more involved in decision making, management and maintenance, so men should participate in hygiene education and sanitation, and should be encouraged to take a fair share of the time and labour which is so often expected of women. There should be a moving away from the usual assumption that, when executing projects, men are responsible for the "public sphere" and women for the "private sphere".
Gender and water sciences education
Women in developing countries are often referred to as water suppliers and water managers. Daily collecting of water is almost always the responsibility of the women, and it is the women who decide on how it is to be used within the household.
However, women are almost entirely absent from the professional sector. It is essential that women become more involved as advisers, planners, scientists, engineers, in all areas from academia to government services.
Lack of women at the advisory and policy making levels is largely due to the disparity between the levels of women's and men's education. In addition to basic literacy, it is also necessary to consider the type of education and the subjects studied. Statistics (Practical Guide-Statistics and Indicators on Education, UNESCO 1995) show that in Sub-Saharan Africa few women have access to higher education and women's participation in agriculture, forestry, hydrology and other water sciences-related educational programmes is very poor. One of the aims of the Special Project is to facilitate women's access to water sciences' education.
Within the framework of the UNESCO Special Project, fellowships have been granted to African women scientists who would otherwise not have been able to continue their university studies.
Studies and reports have been carried out in different fields of water sciences, including doctoral theses on Women and Water Resources Supply and Use, presented by Mrs R. Permala at the University of Mauritius ; Chronological Studies of Geographical Patterns of Seasonal Droughts in Kenya by use of Geographical Information Systems, presented by Mrs O.R. Amunyelet at the University of Nairobi, Connaissances acquises sur les sciences de l'eau (Acquired Knowledge of Water Sciences) presented by Mrs S. Assian at the University of Mali, among others.
Another way to improve women's participation in studies and research would be to facilitate their access to the new means of communication by training them to use computers and Internet. Promoting women's access to the networks will enable them not only to exchange their knowledge, their ideas and experiences but also to improve south-south co-operation.
Women, water and peace
Water is the source of life but as such it can also be a source of conflict. With finite freshwater resources on the one hand, and an increasing demand on the other, the need to protect and manage water resources properly has never been greater. Major clashes over dwindling supplies of water may well be a source of future conflicts between nations. However, acknowledging the situation and the need to work together to find solutions would open the way for co-operation among nations. Equality, development and peace are inextricably linked ( Statement on women's Contribution to a Culture of Peace). 
Is there a woman's way of knowing? Recent studies suggest that girls seem more interested than boys in the social, cultural and ethical aspects of science and technology (Edgard W.Jendins, UNESCO Connect Vol XXII, N_1, 1997).
These aspects could be used most effectively towards the setting up of " a culture of peace". The training of women and girls in the ethics of water use is not only essential but crucial for the generations to come. Technology, and in particular, appropriate technology, is necessary but not sufficient. In many countries, the relationship between women and water is a complex issue that can best be tackled by a multidisciplinary approach including social sciences, cultural and ethical aspects. Within the IHP Special Project, the scientific community is called upon to work together in order to overcome lack of information, co-operation and co-ordination at all levels.
Empowering women
Women play a central part in the provision, management and sefeguarding of water. This pivotal role of women as providers and users of water and guardians of the living environment has seldom been reflected in institutional arrangements for the development and management of water resources. Acceptance and implementation of this principle requires positive policies to address women's specific needs and to equip and empower women to participate at all levels in water resources programmes, including decision-making and implementation, in ways defined by them" (Principle No. 3 Dublin statement - International Conference on Water and Environment, January 1992, Dublin, Ireland).
As a result of the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro (1992) and the Fourth World Conference on Women in Beijing (1995), the need to recognize the role of women in the development and management of natural resources, and to ensure their participation, has been widely accepted. Recent approaches to gender participation aim at considering women in relation to other groups with distinct stakes and roles in the provision and maintenance of water and sanitation services. The time has come to take stock of experience gained and to achieve a clearer understanding of the contribution gender participation makes to critical aspects of community water and sanitation programmes. With this in mind, and in order to reduce the gap between theory and actually implementing urgently needed action, UNESCO has organized several workshops and seminars in Africa.
A workshop on "Water resources in arid and semi-arid zones. Exchange of knowledge and cultural practices : the contribution of women" was organized by UNESCO in co-operation with UNICEF and UNDP in Mauritania, in November 1996. Experts from the Ministries of Water Resources and women's Affairs of nine African countries (Burkina Faso, Djibouti, Côte d'Ivoire, Mali, Mauritania, Niger, Senegal, Chad, Togo) participated in the workshop. 
As a follow up to this workshop, the Côte d'Ivoire Ministry of Family and women's Affairs, launched an integrated project in the province of Oumé, using Kouméfla as a pilot village. Within the framework of this project UNESCO participated in the organization of a training seminar for community leaders on hygiene and water resource management (Oumé, June 1998).
A seminar on "women's participation in water supply and sanitation" was organized in Brazzaville, Congo in May 1997 to evaluate the current situation and prepare recommendations for national authorities and NGO's.
A regional training course on "Gender and development ", with particular focus on water resources management, was organized in Nouakchott, Mauritania, in October 1997 with the co-operation of the International Water and Sanitation Center (IRC).
A regional seminar on "Women's Participation and Gender Consideration in Water Supply and Sanitation Services" was organized by UNESCO in co-operation with UNICEF, UNDP and the World Bank in South Africa, in November 1997. Representatives from 16 African countries (Eritrea, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa, Lesotho, Namibia, Swaziland, Zimbabwe, Botswana, Malawi, Zambia, Angola, Mauritius, Tanzania, Madagascar and Uganda) were invited to evaluate policies, strategies and tools that could have a positive impact on women's lives. The seminar was the first stage in a series of regional consultations among regional actors, which will lead to the development of guidelines and the implementation of national programmes. As a follow up to the workshop UNESCO, UNDP/World Bank Water Sanitation Program and UNICEF will co-operate in the carrying out of pilot activities at national and regional level, the design and development of improved manuals and tool kits, the organization of courses for the training of trainers, and assisting countries to prepare and implement their national action plans.
Pilot projects
A pilot project for the development of the Oasis of Ouadane in Mauritania was initiated in 1996, with financial support from the German co-operation agency for development (B.M.Z.). Access to adequate water resources is of top priority for the community of Ouadane.
The majority of the population of Ouadane is made up of women and children as a large number of the male population has moved to the capital, Nouakchott. The women of Ouadane are often the sole providers of financial support for their families. They are also responsible for the collection of water and are the main users of water for cooking, washing and sanitation purposes.
In addition to their domestic tasks, the women undertake agricultural activities for food production. They also produce handicrafts, which require a fair amount of water, to supplement their income.
Due to lack of appropriate training, limited access to water resources and an inadequate management structure, women's activities produce a very small income. The aim of this pilot project is to facilitate access to water resources (water for domestic use, agriculture and handicraft activities) and set up an adequate training programme. The aim of the pilot project is to take into account the priorities of the community as a whole and to develop a sharing strategy. The main objective is to enhance local capabilities and encourage the participation of the village women in the decision making process.
Studies have been carried out on the traditional role of women in relation to water supply and use. One of these studies aimed at improving the quality of water in the villages in the Gondo Plain in Burkina Faso. It was carried out by students from the hydrogeology laboratory of the University of Ouagadougou with support from the University of Laval (Canada).
Information and learning material
The International Hydrological Programme's Special Project on "Women and Water - Resources Supply and Use" has been able to collect a large amount of data. Even though the project is due to end in December 1999 it is essential that this information be made easily accessible to all women which is why special attention is being devoted to the dissemination of information and the creation of learning material. This Web Site is one way of sharing the experience gained and the documentation produced during the implementation of this Special Project.
If you are interested in obtaining any of the following publications, please send a request to the IHP. 6.1. Elles et l'Eau
This publication is a collection of the contributions presented within the workshop on "Water resources in arid and semi-arid zones. Exchange of knowledge and cultural practises : the contribution of women" held in Noukchott, Mauritania, in 1996. It aims at sensitizing people involved in rural development projects to the participation of women in water resources management. It takes a look at past errors and finding solutions to better respond to the requirements of users.
6.2. Clean Water and Better Sanitation. A responsability for All.
This report contains the summary proceedings of the "Regional Workshop on Gender and Water Supply and Sanitation" held in Pretoria, Republic of South Africa, in 1997 and also outlines the regional follow-up initially focused on gender assessments. The Pretoria workshop and the assessments are part of a broader global Participatory Learning and Action (PLA) Initiative on gender and participation in community-based water supply and sanitation.
The broad objective of the PLA is to improve the capacity of sector agencies to respond to users' demand for water and sanitation services, using gender and poverty-sensitive sharing approaches.
This objective was developed based on growing evidence that sustained water and sanitation services rely on peoples' capability to establish and manage services that fit the particular local circumstances and requirements, rather than using blanket approaches based on pre-determined needs.
A multimedia package is being prepared which will include :
1. A brochure about the Special Project
2. A poster
3. Publications
4. A video document
5. A radio programme
6. Inputs for a series of radio programmes on water use and sanitation.
Partners
Several associations and non governmental organizations (NGOs) have already given their support to this project.
The Special Project supports women's associations. A successful example is an activity carried out by the Kobongo women's Co-operative in Kenya. UNESCO support was requested to help build the necessary infrastructures to supply fresh water to their village (1996-97). The participatory approach developed by the Kobongo Co-operative to implement their project has been used as an example by other local associations. -
NGOs working on gender and water issues
If you are aware of other organizations that we should consider, please send us information about them and a description of their activities.
Contact
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UNESCO.ORG
