Women 2000 and beyond: women and water

This issue of "Women2000 and beyond" on women and water discusses gender perspectives of a growing water crisis and the evolution of the international policy on water. It stresses the importance of integrating gender perspectives in water resource management and warns for the danger of leaving women out of water project design. It analyzes the challenges of the implementation of a gender approach in water projects and looks at water resource management in the context of complex livelihoods. Gender specific impacts of environmental degradation and water pollution are elaborated.
The health situation for women having poor access to water remains of particular concern. There are clear benefits to be gained from improved access to water and sanitation, including reductions in water-related mortality and morbidity and positive impacts on productivity, child development and quality of life. Improved sanitation is critically linked to achieving the health benefits of clean water supplies, as it helps to reduce the risk of faeco-oral transmission of disease. Better governance of water includes the desirability of including more women in water management institutions. Gender mainstreaming requires changes in institutions to facilitate the incorporation of gender sensitivity at all levels and activities.
These issues of concern are illustrated with examples throughout the leaflet, presented in a clear and concise manner. In addition a list of useful references and resources on gender and water is provided. An endnote with conclusions and some policy recommendations is presented, together with Internet-addresses of sites of interest in the field.