LEADERSHIP IN WATER AND SANITATION ISSUES

 

Proposed by the Chair of the Standing Committee on Environment and Sustainable Development and the President of BPW the Netherlands supported by the Chair of the Taskforce “women for Water”

 

Recognizing the importance of improving women’s access to safe. Affordable water supllies and their right to participate equally in all related planning and decision-making activities

 

Be it resolved that BPW International, meeting in Congress in Lucerne, Switzerland in June 2005

 

·        supports women to be leaders and agents of change in Integrated Water Resource Management, leading to supplying safe, affordable drinking water and gender sensitive sanitation facilities and prevent conflicts about water by peaceful means - so assisting in achieving the Millennium Goals on water, sanitation and habitat world-wide 

·         promotes the principle that access to water must be identified by all stakeholders as a public good and human right and not a commodity to be traded on the open market 

·         requests  the creation of national frameworks (e.g. Constitutional, legislative, regulatory) to safeguard accessibility, quality, affordability and good governance regarding water and sanitation

·         requests that Women’s rights to land, water and other natural resources are incorporated into the provisions of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW)

·         regrets that, despite the number of capable women, they are still underrepresented in negotiations and project teams, and that women do not fully participate in decision-making about water– and sanitation services

·         promotes involvement and support of relevant actors as participants, not target groups, including the equal participation of women and consideration of  diversity and gender

·         promotes integrated water, sanitation and waste projects, using local capacities

·         promotes less bureaucratic, more transparent, policies, procedures and processes including monitoring and/ or evaluation of the outcomes

·         requests - particularly in (post) armed conflicts situations and disaster – that women’s safe access to water, housing and sanitation should be ensured and they participate in decision-making at local, regional and national levels

·         suggests to the Commission for Sustainable Development (CSD) / ECOSOC, working together with the World Bank and micro-financing institutions, to review the financing structures and methods and explicitly commissions the creation of more opportunities for financing projects on local and regional levels, to be implemented by local government or local groups [1]

·         requests that contributions made “in kind” by inhabitants or users are also acknowledged by governments in granting subsidies

 

RATIONALE:

In 2002 in Melbourne BPW International adopted a Resolution about the involvement of BPW in integrated water resource management and to implement the plan from the WSSD in Johannesburg, urging governments to implement the Dublin Principles, create awareness at national/ regional and local level about the gender aspect of Integrated Water Resource Management and support initiatives from women’s groups in this respect. 

The International President appointed a Chair and a Taskforce to cover every region, involving as many women as possible with local and regional “footholds”.  The aim was to start and/or stimulate projects involving women in Integrated Water Resource Management at all levels, using existing knowledge, experience and projects, as well as working closely with other women networks.  the Taskforce was to be the voice of BPW women on the international stage on the subject of IWRM.

 

The Taskforce Chair reported that

·         BPW International is now a member of the World Water Council, a founding member of the Women for Water Partnership (approx. 50 organizations and countries around the globe) and is a member of the Steering Committee of the EU water Initiative

·         Up to date 25 BPW affiliates countries have started projects on the issue of water and sanitation

 

Agendas and action programmes on the themes of water, sanitation and habitat, as well as the associated objectives and challenges, have been accepted in various international forums. All the bottlenecks and obstacles to realisation of the agreements have been extensively discussed and identified. There is however still a large gap between principles and practise.

 

To reach the Millennium Development Goal’s on water, sanitation and habitat the participation and leadership of women is crucial; therefore there should be continuity in the lobby and work for these issues on the international stage and by BPW members.

 

IMPLEMENTATION

 

International

 

The International President to forward this declaration to the UN Secretary General, The UN Commission on Sustainable Development, the Security Council, the European Parliament, the EU Commission and the Council

 

The website manager for BPWI to publish this declaration on the website and regularly publish news and progress reports about current developments and actions of BPW members

 

UN and other Representatives of BPW to lobby for the goals as mentioned in this motion where and whenever possible and to be supplied with appropriate reports

 

Continue the Taskforce “Women for Water” for at least three years, (re)appoint a Chair, assist in getting them project funding and encourage them to assist in implementing the actions and projects mentioned below

 

The Projects Chair to maximise the use of funds, such as Five-O, and the knowledge available within BPW I to assist in developing small scale projects to enhance the availability of safe, affordable drinking water and gender sensitive sanitation services. 

 

Affiliates

 

Presidents of BPW affiliates to forward this resolution to their National Parliaments and government and international organisations

 

Developing and implementing projects and other actions as appropriate in their respective countries to further the goals of this motion

 

Exchange knowledge and experience, facilitating vocational training and job-oriented training programmes (including in non-traditional professions)