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  2. [2022] Side Event at the UN-Water Groundwater Summit: A Multi-stakeholder Approach for Accelerating Gender Equality

[2022] Side Event at the UN-Water Groundwater Summit: A Multi-stakeholder Approach for Accelerating Gender Equality

Tuesday, 06 December 2022 - 4:30pm to 6:30pm

Description 

Groundwater provides half of the drinking water worldwide and plays an increasingly important role in the face of growing water scarcity, fuelled by climate change and socio-economic and demographic trends. Just as it is the case with surface water, women’s roles in groundwater access and usage, and their contributions to groundwater management are usually undervalued and under-recognized. Women (and other groups such as youth and differently abled people) are critically underrepresented in water-related institutions and programmes, leading to a sharp gender gap in governance, employment, knowledge, and economic opportunities. Urgent and concrete actions are needed to highlight and effectively address gender inequalities in groundwater.

This side event will showcase the work of the WWAP-led Global Multi-Stakeholders Coalition to accelerate progress towards gender equality in water with focus on solutions and good practices. It will also discuss the formulation of a joint strategy by the Multi-stakeholder Coalition that fits within the Water Action Agenda for the UN 2023 Water Conference. The session builds on the outcomes of the African Regional Consultations (Addis Ababa, June 2022) and paves the way for integrated educational programmes, promoting gender equality among future water leaders.

The event will feature messages from ‘water and gender advocates’ supporting the WWAP Call for Action Initiative, followed by presentations of actions by the co-convenors: AMCOW, UNESCO IWSSM / UNOSD, and UNU-FLORES. A focus on practical tools and best practices will trigger a participatory discussion with the audience and panellists to develop a joint proposal for the UN 2023 Water Conference.

Agenda (updated as of 4 November 2022)

Official UN-Water Summit Event Webpage

Zoom Link to Live Streaming (via Whova)

 

Programme and Agenda

Opening Remarks

  • Master of Ceremony (MoC) - Ms. Michela Miletto, UNESCO WWAP Coordinator
  • Mr. Abou Amani, Director, UNESCO Division of Water Sciences, Secretary of Intergovernmental Hydrological Programme (IHP)

Part A - The global Multi-stakeholder Coalition for water and gender equality

  • Introduction to the initiative, UNESCO WWAP

Strengthening partnerships: key messages from the member of the Multi-stakeholder Coalition

  • Mr. Sulton Rahimzoda (TBC), Special Envoy of the President of the Republic of Tajikistan on Water and Climate Affairs
  • Mr. Henk Ovink (TBC), Special Envoy for International Water Affairs, for the Kingdom of the Netherlands
  • Mr. Rashid Mbaziira, Executive Secretary of AMCOW
  • Ms. Tanja Miskova, Ambassador-at-large for Water Diplomacy, Republic of Slovenia
  • Ms. Mary Mbiro Khimulu, Former Kenyan Ambassador/PD to UNESCO/President, UNESCO IGC MOST, Vice President of Eastern Africa, PAWO (Pan African Women Association)
  • Mr. Youngchul Son, General Manager, K-water, Republic of Korea

Concrete actions to advancing gender equality in groundwater

  • Advances in the implementation of the youth and gender inclusion strategy for Africa – Mr. Obinna Anah, Senior Policy Officer-Knowledge Management, Communications and Visibility, AMCOW
  • Importance of evidence-based programming for food security of rural women in Jamaica – Mr. Winston Shaw, Senior Director for Technology, Training and Technical Information Division, Rural Agricultural Development Authority, Jamaica
  • Gender integration policy in the Trifinio Transboundary Aquifer shared by Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras – Ms. Liseth Hernandez, Trinational Executive Secretary, Trifinio Plan
  • Integration of a gender perspective into the GEF/FAO Project: Enhancing sustainability of the Transboundary Cambodia - Mekong River Delta Aquifer, Cambodia and Vietnam – Ms. Konstantina Toli, Senior Programme Officer, FAO

Part B - Cooperation and tools to advance progress towards SDG-5 and SDG-6

Moderation: Ms. Dahae Ellie Park, Senior Programme Specialist, i-WSSM/WWAP

  • Evidenced-based policymaking towards gender transformative water policy - SDG-PSS system to foster SDG 6 progress – Ms. Yujeong Kim, Senior Sustainable Development Officer, UNOSD
  • The role of Nexus Educational programs and engagement platforms to advance gender equality in future water leadership – Ms. Serena Caucci, Associate Programme Officer, UNU-FLORES and Ms. Sabina Khatri, Alexander von Humboldt International Climate Protection Fellow, UNU-FLORES
  • IMI Gender contextualization process – Mr. William Reidhead, Global Monitoring Officer, UN Water
  • WWAP Toolkit for water and gender and WWAP capacity development programme – Ms. Laura Imburgia, Senior Water and Gender Programme Specialist, UNESCO WWAP

Open discussion: A multi-stakeholder approach for water and gender towards the 2023 UN Water Conference

Moderation: Women for Water Partnership - UNESCO WWAP

  • ‘How can gender considerations be effectively integrated in the 2023 UN Water Conference and Water Agenda?’