Gender equality and water security

To achieve water security for all, it is imperative that gender and inclusion are meaningfully incorporated into policies, governance, and management processes. Water insecurity disproportionately impacts women and girls. Women and girls are also more likely to experience food insecurity, personal safety concerns, vulnerability to disasters, risks of disease and physical and mental health impacts, and reduced economic opportunities related to water. Box 1 highlights the critical intersections between gender and water and the unique challenges faced by women and girls in relation to water. Women’s inclusion and gender equality need to be enhanced in all parts of water management. Their shared involvement includes participation in management of water resources; design, planning, and delivery of water and sanitation services in both formal and informal roles; water-sharing arrangements; and strategies to reduce water-related risks. Addressing gender dynamics in water management can accelerate equitable water security in Asia and the Pacific and globally. Addressing gender equality with an intersectional lens will ensure other dimensions of marginalization and inclusion are also given attention. The gender strategy of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) for 2019–2024 commits to scale up gender mainstreaming in operations across sectors and to integrate a transformative gender agenda (ADB 2019); and one of the five guiding principles of ADB’s Water Sector Directional Guide 2030 is “promoting inclusiveness and gender equality” (ADB 2022). While ADB’s Asian Water Development Outlook series provides an established approach to measuring water security in Asia and the Pacific, this report provides the basis for evolving that approach to better differentiate water security with respect to gender or inclusion.

source :

https://www.adb.org/publications/gender-equality-water-security-conceptual-framework