Seven projects in the urban water sector of EUROCLIMA+ will include a gender approach in their management plans.
Nearly 80 percent of the world's population is threatened to a greater or lesser extent by water shortages; in Latin America alone, an estimated 25 million people lack basic water services. However, women and children are the ones who spend the most hours collecting water. Not only are they affected by doing this important task, studies have even shown that an increase in pre-eclampsia and eclampsia in pregnant women is due to the salinization of this liquid and exposure to contaminated water in their traditional roles leads them to contract diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, dysentery, and others.
"It is important to pay constant attention to gender equity in the development of policies, programmes and decision making. For example, women tend to prioritise activities to improve the quality of life of the communities, as well as attending to the most vulnerable people; this allows recognition of their contributions and promotes leadership," said Ana Victoria Rojas, gender expert consultant of the EUROCLIMA+ programme.
The teams of the water sector of the EUROCLIMA+ programme and the implementing agencies AFD and AECID have been trained through a virtual workshop led by Ana Victoria Rojas, to ensure compliance with the gender action plan 2016 - 2020 of the European Union, for the protection of the rights of women and girls, and their empowerment. The aim is to promote gender equality by mainstreaming it into their policies, action plans and other measures at the national level.
Projects will implement the use of practical tools and methodologies such as gender analyses, sex-disaggregated indicators, capacity building and the development of methods for women's participation and consultation, monitoring, evaluation, and accountability from a gender perspective.
With this implementation, EUROCLIMA+ seeks to support women and girls as agents of change for environmental protection, water resource management, access to services and adaptation of the most vulnerable populations to the impacts of climate change.
About EUROCLIMA+
EUROCLIMA+ is a programme financed by the European Union to promote environmentally sustainable and climate-resilient development in 18 Latin American countries, particularly for the benefit of the most vulnerable populations. The Programme is implemented under the synergistic work of seven agencies: the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID), the French Development Agency (AFD), Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), Expertise France (EF), International and Ibero-American Foundation for Administration and Public Policy (FIIAPP), the German Society for International Cooperation (GIZ), and UN Environment.
Contacts
For more information about EUROCLIMA+, contact Alexandra Cortés: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
For information about the EUROCLIMA+ Urban Water component, write to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.