About the Gender and Water Alliance

The Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) was established at the Second World Water Forum (WWF) in March 2000. The mission of GWA is to promote women's and men's equitable access to and management of safe and adequate water, for domestic supply, sanitation, food security and environmental sustainability. The provision of sustainable water and sanitation services that incorporate an integrated water resources management approach requires a special emphasis and focus on gender, social justice and human rights. GWA believes that equitable access to and control over water is a basic right for all, as well as a critical factor in promoting poverty eradication and sustainability.

GWA is a global network dedicated to mainstream gender in water resoures management. It is registred as an Association under Dutch law and has more than 1000 members in 104 countries worldwide. Its membership is diverse and represents a wide range of capacities and expertise across all water sectors as well as from different stakeholder groups including government, grassroots organisations, NGOs, universities and research institutes, international agencies and individual consultants. More than eighty percent of the membership comes from a diversity of countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.

The GWA is managed by an independent Steering Committee that is elected by the membership every three years. The Steering Committee is made up of eight members representing different regions and areas of gender expertise in the water sector. The Steering Committe is advised by three representatives of international organisations that stay on the board for two years.

The Secretariat of the GWA is supported by an Executive Director, a Senior Programme Officer, five Programme Officers and an Administrative Financial Officer. The office is in Dieren, the Netherlands.

The Alliance is and has been financed by the governments of the Netherlands and the United Kingdom, additional earmarked finance has been generated by projects implemented with partner organisations.