"Effective gender mainstreaming in water management for sustainable livelihoods: From guidelines to practice"

In 2005 GWA agreed upon a programme together with Both Ends and the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture (CA), with the objective to engender the knowledgebase of CA and the Negotiated Approach of Both Ends, as well as studying the attitude and opinion of water technicians and managers, to learn why available gender manuals and guidelines do not result in the desired change on the ground. The name of the programme was "Effective gender mainstreaming in water management for sustainable livelihoods: From guidelines to practice"

The programme consisted of the following parts:

• A review of the Comprehensive Assessment of Water Management in Agriculture from a gender and diversity perspective by GWA members and gender experts.
• A workshop in Amsterdam where experts of different background came together to discuss the impediments, key issues, dillema's and opportunities of gender mainstreaming in water management in agriculture and drafted a minimum agenda for gender mainstreaming in watermanagement in agriculture
• Holding of surveys in Nepal and India by GWA members on the use and practicality of gender manuals and guidelines
• An e-conference concerning the "why"and "how" of gender mainstreaming in water management in agriculture
• Presentation of a draft minimum agenda for effective mainstreaming in water management at the 4th World Water Forum
• A minimum agenda for effective mainstreaming in water management, in which the minimum requirements for gender mainstreaming are listed per profession as well as what these professionals need to be able to mainstream gender.

The final results of the programme have been summarised (with the help of Dr Margreet Zwarteveen) and published in the Both ENDS Working Paper Series: Effective gender mainstreaming in water management for sustainable livelihoods: From guidelines to practice (December 2006).