Closing the water/gender data gap: WWAP gender-responsive indicators and methodologies

UNESCO WWAP has developed a solid and field-tested methodology and 105 gender-responsive indicators to effectively assess gender (in)equality, and evaluate progress. It assists decision makers to adopt data-driven and gender-transformative water policies to advance gender equality in water and meet the 2030 Agenda.

Since 2015, the WWAP Toolkit on Water and Gender has been implemented in West Africa, Central and South America, Central Asia and the Pacific SIDS.

On occasion of World Water Week on 21 August (9:00-10:30), UNESCO WWAP organizes a workshop to introduce this proved methodological approach to a wider audience with focus on offering governmental and local administration representatives a useful toolkit to advance gender equality in water management, and applicable to other natural resources management.

Although women, girls and cultural minorities often bear the greatest unpaid burden to secure water for domestic and productive uses, they are often excluded from policymaking and management in the water sector. The root factors of these inequalities are complex and often deeply rooted in social and cultural norms, making them place- and time-dependent.

Disaggregated water-related data are essential to unraveling the root causes of gender inequalities in the administration and management of water resources. This enables informed and effective decisions and gender-responsive water policies consistent with global commitments, including the 2030 Agenda.