Gender, water and development – the untapped connection

The issue of water, gender and development is a matter of life and death across Africa. But the issue of gender and water is not just about women and water – it is intersected too by issues of poverty, class, race and ethnicity. All of these factors combine to determine who has access to water and what role water plays in building sustainable livelihoods and a decent quality of life for all.

The struggle for access to sufficient water in Africa is both a human rights issue and a development challenge, impacting on health, agricultural and economic productivity, the education opportunities of women and children and social stability and well-being.

For all these raisons, the WRC, together with DWA, AMCOW, WfWP and SADC will be hosting a Global Conference on Gender and Water during February 2014 in East London, South Africa.