In line with UNESCO's Gender Equality Priority, World Water Assessment Programme (WWAP) has launched in 2021 a wide-ranging Call for Action to Increase Gender Equality in the Water Sector: Filling Data Gaps and Implementing Concrete Actions to bring together a multi-stakeholder coalition of Member State institutions, UN agencies, international and regional organizations, Official Development Assistance (ODA) agencies and civil society.
The Call for Action aims to raise awareness, dismantle stereotypes, promote women’s empowerment and leadership in water management and governance , and urges government institutions and funding agencies to commit concrete support to advancing gender equality in the water domain.
These objectives are supported through the strategic participation of WWAP and Coalition Members in key international to regional events and meetings. Through concrete action aligned with these objectives, the coalition aims to reach the completion of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.
As BPW International main representative to UNESCO and through our cooperation with Lesha Witmer (WfWP), Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré was invited as Observer to the first meeting (2021) of the UNESCO-WWAP (World Water Assesment Program) multistakeholder coalition for accelerating gender equality in the water domain (Le Programme Mondial pour l’Evaluation des Ressources en Eau en français).
She attended UN-Water Summit on Groundwater, on 7-8 December 2022 at UNESCO HQ, Paris, and participated in the side event with Lesha Witmer and the coalition. Un Water Conference took place in March 2023 and Tess Mateo, UN NY representative, attended the UNESCO WWAP side event, which Marie-Claude Machon-Honoré could follow online too.
Following the side event and commitment to the coalition, BPW International logo was added to their partners.
The first operational training meeting of the coalition took place in Mexico last September, and next virtual meeting and agenda will be announced soon.
Please find below the link to more information and videos.
