| BPW International
- |
Shares
the worldwide concern about the consequences of the
rapid climate change, especially causing more problems
with flooding, droughts, desertification and influencing
the water quantity and quality in a negative way in
general all over the world |
- |
Notes that
especially women, older people and children carry the
burden of these developments, their specific needs often
not being recognized |
- |
supports the
willingness and capacity of women working for achieving
the Millennium Goals, especially on water, sanitation,
emancipation and habitat world-wide |
- |
Shares the
concern of women about the water quality, looking e.g.
the growing amount of pharmaceuticals in the drinking
water |
- |
submits that
women have proven their capacity to be actors and leaders
in Integrated Water Resource Management, supplying safe,
affordable drinking water and gender sensitive sanitation
facilities and help prevent conflicts about water by
peaceful means such as dialogue, reconciliation and
negotiations |
- |
regrets that
despite the number of knowledgeable and capable women,
they are still underrepresented in negotiations and
(project)teams and that women do not fully (can) participate
on those levels where important decisions about services
in this field are taken |
- |
promotes involvement
and support of all relevant actors including the equal
participation of women, consideration of (cultural)
diversity and gender, link up of agreed objectives and
programmes with local (financing) structures, using
local capacities, set up and implementation of integrated
projects (not within separate sectors), policy formulation
and implementation procedures and processes become less
bureaucratic and more transparent and involve monitoring
and/ or evaluation of the outcomes |
- |
notes that
2008 is the international UN Year of Sanitation and
2009 of Integrated Water Resource management |
- |
urges and promotes
to adapt and take measures to mitigate the consequences
of climate change by (integrated) water resource management
and river-basin, transboundary cooperation, involving
all stakeholders in planning, decision-making and implementation |
- |
promotes that
water must be identified by all governments, private
sector and all other stakeholders as a public good and
human right and not a commodity to be traded on the
open market. Water management must be for social needs
and environmental sustainability rather than for short-term
profit |
- |
beliefs and supports
that implementation of access to all basic services
including energy, safe drinking water and appropriate
sanitation is a human right, having a positive impact
on the lives of women and therefore |
- |
requests the
creation of national frameworks (e.g. Constitutional,
legislative, regulatory) in such a way that women’s
rights to land, water and other natural resources are
incorporated into the provisions of the Convention on
the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against
Women (CEDAW) and above all implemented |
- |
requests that-
particularly in situations of armed conflicts and disaster
- women’s safe access to water, housing, sanitation
and energy should be ensured e.g. by making funds available
to women to participate and take leadership in (re)constructing
infrastructure such as water supply, sanitation facilities
etc. and to participate in decision-making at local,
regional and national levels |
- |
promotes and assists
in the strengthening of institutional (local) capacity,
stimulating the exchange and development of knowledge,
aimed at changing the mindset by education and public
information in order to enlarge the support base, problem-solving
focussed training and integral process and project support,
facilitating and (where needed) creating vocational
training / schooling and job-oriented training programmes,
particularly for young people and women, including non-traditional
professions and strengthening and optimising the use
of the local knowledge and practical experience of the
local community and local knowledge institutions. |
In 2002 in Melbourne BPW International adopted
a Resolution about the involvement of BPW in integrated water
resource management and the Plan of implementation of the
WSSD - including the MDGs - in Johannesburg: “urge their
government to: implement the Dublin Principles, create awareness
at national/ regional and local level about the gender aspect
of Integrated Water Resource Management; support initiatives
from women’s groups in this respect and actively create
structures by which women can be part of the governing body
of water resources in their communities; take an active part
in these projects in such a way that women are partners in
the process of Integrated Water Resource Management and local
women’s groups are enabled and empowered to participate
successfully in any form and at every level.”
The International President appointed a Chair
and a Taskforce was started to cover the world / every region,
involving as many women as possible by having local and regional
“footholds” and to start and/ or stimulate Projects
involving women in Integrated Water Resource Management on
all levels, using existing knowledge, experience and projects
and build on that including working closely with other women
networks and be the voice of (BPW) women on the international
stage on the subject of IWRM.
The Taskforce-Chair reported that
- BPW International is now a member of the World Water
Council, is one of the coordinators for the World Water
Forum 2009 in Istanbul, a founding member of the Women for
Water Partnership (approx. 90 organizations in countries
around the globe), is a member of the Steering Committee
of the EU water Initiative
- The women’s Caucus of the major group women –
of which BPW and Women for Water are active members - succeeded
in getting a lot of attention and texts adopted during the
CSD
- Up to date more than 25 (as far as we know) “BPW-
clubs / countries” have started projects on the issue
of water and sanitation.
The involvement of (BPW) women in this field
has started and women are showing leadership; but the work
in general and of the Taskforce in particular is not finished.
Climate change is a new thread and needs to be addressed.
So is the quality of our drinking water in both the developed
and developing world. Agendas and action programmes on the
themes of water, sanitation and habitat, as well as the associated
objectives and challenges, have been accepted in various international
forums. All the bottlenecks and obstacles to realisation of
the agreements have been extensively discussed and identified
by sector. There is however still a large gap between the
principles and practise. Evaluations of the UN CSD (recently
during CSD 16) show that the goals of the WSSD and the Millennium
Goals regarding these subjects are obtainable, provided we
all continue to work on these issues, give it priority and
make more funding available. Now is the time to implement
the agreements reached and bring them into practise! Women
can be a major force in that. Also there should be continuity
in the lobby for these issues on the international stage.
IMPLEMENTATION:
- |
ask the President to forward this declaration
to the UN Secretary General, The of, Commission on sustainable
development, the Security Council, the European Parliament,
the EU Commission and the Council |
- |
publish this declaration on the website and regularly
publish news and progress reports about current developments,
actions and ideas of BPW members |
- |
urge the Presidents of BPW affiliates to forward this
resolution to their National Parliaments and government
and international organisations their country is a member
of |
- |
instruct the Representatives of BPW to lobby for the
goals as mentioned in this motion where and whenever possible
and supply them with support to do this, |
- |
support affiliates and other women’s organizations
get active e.g. by |
- |
continuing the Taskforce “women for water”
for at least three years, appoint a Chair, assist in getting
them funding and encourage them to assist in implementing
the actions and projects mentioned below |
- |
urging all members of BPW affiliates to implement projects
and other actions as appropriate in their respective countries
to further the goals of this motion |
- |
making more use of funds (Five-O) and knowledge available
within BPW to assist in developing small scale projects
to enhance the availability of safe, affordable drinking
water and gender sensitive sanitation services |
- |
supporting the Taskforce in applying for project funding |
- |
request the Chairs of Taskforce and the Standing Committees,
specifically on environment and sustainable development,
on the UN (advocacy) and on agriculture to work closely
together on these subjects |
- |
participate in the World Water Forum in 2009 and play
a active role in supporting equity mainstreaming in this
Forum |
|
