Gender indicatorsfor women’s empowerment strategies

in water and food security

Drs. Alice M. Bouman-DentenerPresident Women for Water Partnership

Indicators are (CIDA 1997):

Criteria are measures against which changes can be assessed.

They may be pointers, facts, numbers, opinions or perceptions –

used to signify changes in specific conditions or progress towards particular objectives.

Presentation outline:

1.Women for Water Partnership:• Who are we?• What conditions we want to change?• Objectives

2.AMCOW gender mainstreaming strategy:• How does WfWP relate to strategy?• What is our specific niche in

implementing the strategy?• Examples of our African members

3.Indicators to measure women’s empowerment strategies in water & food security

Who we are

Global Women’s Civil Society Network

24 member organisations 90 countries

Women’s Major Groupof UNCED Agenda 21

uniting to achieve access to water and adequate sanitation for all

Water and women’s empowerment:mutually supportive

Water empowers women

Empowered women become effective agents of change

Dublin principles for IWRM

2. Development & management of water should be based on a participatory approach, involving users, planners and policy makers at the lowest appropriate level.

3. Women play a central role in the supply, management and safeguarding of water.

Women supported aseffective Agents of Change?

How can AMCOW gender mainstreaming strategy help?

Aspects of AMCOW gender policy:

1.Institutional strengthening for gender mainstreaming2.Strengthen partnerships3.Enhance sensitization at all levels4.Recommended actions for implementation and achievements of AMCOW gender commitments

Institutional level

a. legal and policy frameworks

b. institutional mechanisms

There is a hole in the bucket!

Women: passive beneficiaries

to effective, empoweredpartners

Effective AMCOW strategy:

Implementation level

c. Strengthening civil society where implementation takes place

Of the total development budget 1%

goes to women’s organisations

Basic indicator:

How much money goes to women’s organizations

Pioneering impact measurement

of women’s empowerment in water and food security

Key success factorfor AMCOW

gender mainstreaming strategy

Involve the women’s Major Group as equal partners

THANK YOU