A Rising Tide of support for women in water diplomacy
Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM), on behalf of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network and its partners.
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Other relevant actor
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#SDGAction49727
Description
The Women in Water Diplomacy Network overarching objective is to support improved gender equality in high-level decision making in transboundary basins with focus on enhanced women’s leadership in dialogues around the shared waters - with resultant positive implications for regional peace and security. The Women in Water Diplomacy Network advocates and drives change through pioneering tangible actions linking Track 1 decision makers together across boundaries together with Track 2 ‘influencing intermediaries,’ including leading academics and women-led civil society leaders, to foster inclusive, sustainable, and cooperative water dialogue and decision-making. The Network draws on the rich experience and expertise of its diverse members with inspiration from the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda and Women Mediation Networks – putting focus on women and youth empowerment, experience exchange and capacity building, research cooperation, and collective engagement at key basin, regional and global policy dialogues, as articulated in the Network’s 2022 Global Strategy – ‘A Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security.’ The 2022 Women in Water Diplomacy Network Global Joint Statement: ‘A Rising Tide of support for women in water diplomacy’ is the foundation of a voluntary commitment to the Water Action Agenda on behalf of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network and its broad partnership. The commitments described in the ‘A Rising Tide’ Global Network Joint Statement were developed and endorsed by Women in Water Diplomacy Network members, the Network’s Leadership Council, and supporters representing formal and informal water decision makers engaged at the frontlines transboundary water governance in some of the most water insecure and conflict-sensitive basins and regions in the world. The Women in Water Diplomacy Network elevates a shared commitment to ‘discuss common challenges, share experience, enhance understanding of each other and our countries’ perspectives, build trust, and support one another to seek mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation to achieve sustainable water for all.’ The Network’s Water Action Agenda Voluntary Commitment speaks to the strong linkages between women, water, peace and security and ‘the essential value of water to peace and human security.’ The Women in Water Diplomacy Network elevates a shared commitment to ‘discuss common challenges, share experience, enhance understanding of each other and our countries’ perspectives, build trust, and support one another to seek mutually beneficial opportunities for cooperation to achieve sustainable water for all.’ Specific commitments and calls to action in the ‘A Rising Tide’ Voluntary Commitment are addressed to young people, male colleagues and water sector peers, local, national, regional, global decision makers and development partners.
‘Women and children from vulnerable communities are bearing a heavy and disproportionate burden for unsustainable water management. Yet, women experts and decision makers are far from equally represented in transboundary water management decision making processes. While it has long been recognized that women play an essential role in both, the provision, management, and safeguarding of water resources, and all scales of development and peacebuilding processes, including conflict prevention, conflict resolution, and post-conflict reconstruction and recovery, rigid barriers restricting women’s equal participation and influence persist. The essential value of water to peace and human security spurs us to elevate our voices and knowledge in a global rising tide of water experts, peacemakers, mediators, and stewards. As leaders we know this to be true - sustainable water for all is foundational to a peaceful, secure, resilient shared-future and to the full and effective enjoyment of human rights. Many women water diplomats are currently at the innovative fore of efforts to advance cooperative and inclusive transboundary water governance solutions in some of the most vulnerable countries and communities around the world. As decision makers and experts, we, members and supporters of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network, stress the urgency of action needed to address our shared water and climate challenges and, we commit, in our capacity as water leaders, to continue to work together to further this cooperation. Through our collective strength and support to each other we affirm that a rising tide does, indeed, raise all.’ - Excerpt from Women in Water Diplomacy 2022 Global Joint Statement. As described in the above expert from the full text of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s 2022 Global Joint Statement, the Network commits to driving change towards achieving a variety of key targets and fostering linkages between key goals including SDG’s Goal 5 (gender equality), Goal 6 (sustainable water for all), Goal 16 (peace, justice and strong institutions), and Goal 17 (partnerships for the goals). Developed and supported by women water experts and diplomats in frontline water insecurity communities – the Network’s Global Joint Statement: ‘A Rising Tide of support for women in water diplomacy’ fosters collective positive movement for a peaceful and water secure future.
This Women in Water Diplomacy Network Voluntary Commitment was developed by the Network and its Leadership Council. The Network includes representatives from a broad consortium of Government Ministries, UN and Multilateral bodies, Local/Regional Government and Intergovernmental organizations, Civil Society Organizations, and Academic institutions all working in partnership to advance shared objectives around the intersection of women, water, peace and security. Specifically, The Orange Senqu River Commission (ORASECOM) representing Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, and South Africa ; the Zambezi Watercourse Commission (ZAMCOM) representing Angola, Botswana, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe; the International Joint Commission (IJC) representing the United States and Canada; UNDP Cap-Net; UNESCO International Centre for Water Cooperation (ICWC); the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Central Asia Regional Environmental Center (CAREC) representing Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; the Stockholm International Water Institute (SIWI); the Environmental Law Institute (ELI); The Environmental Peacebuilding Association (EnPax); the Sudanese Youth for Water Parliament; the Community of Women in Water – Latin America; IHE Delft; and The University of Arizona Water Resources Research Center.
• Women in Water Diplomacy Network in the Nile webpage here: https://siwi.org/swp-women-in-water-diplomacy-network/?accordion-the-background • Women in Water Management Network in Central Asia and Afghanistan webpage here: https://siwi.org/women-water-management-central-asia-afghanistan/ • Stockholm International Water Institute, 2022. ‘A Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security: Women in Water Diplomacy Network Global Strategy 2022-2027.’ Stockholm, Sweden. Available at: https://siwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/wwdn-nile-and-beyond-global-strategy-2022-2027_v4.pdf. • Full Text of the 2022 ‘A Rising Tide’ Global Network Joint Statement available here: https://siwi.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/wwdn-nile-and-beyond-global-strategy-2022-2027_v4.pdf. • 2022 Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s first Global Network Forum, After Action Report available https://siwi.org/publications/women-in-water-diplomacy-after-action-report/
SDGS & Targets
Goal 5
Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls
5.1
End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere
5.1.1
Whether or not legal frameworks are in place to promote, enforce and monitor equality and non‑discrimination on the basis of sex
5.2
5.2.1
Proportion of ever-partnered women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to physical, sexual or psychological violence by a current or former intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by form of violence and by age
5.2.2
Proportion of women and girls aged 15 years and older subjected to sexual violence by persons other than an intimate partner in the previous 12 months, by age and place of occurrence
5.3
5.3.1
Proportion of women aged 20-24 years who were married or in a union before age 15 and before age 18
5.3.2
Proportion of girls and women aged 15-49 years who have undergone female genital mutilation/cutting, by age
5.4
Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate
5.4.1
Proportion of time spent on unpaid domestic and care work, by sex, age and location
5.5
Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life
5.5.1
Proportion of seats held by women in (a) national parliaments and (b) local governments
5.5.2
Proportion of women in managerial positions
5.6
Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences
5.6.1
Proportion of women aged 15-49 years who make their own informed decisions regarding sexual relations, contraceptive use and reproductive health care
5.6.2
Number of countries with laws and regulations that guarantee full and equal access to women and men aged 15 years and older to sexual and reproductive health care, information and education
5.a
Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws
5.a.1
(a) Proportion of total agricultural population with ownership or secure rights over agricultural land, by sex; and (b) share of women among owners or rights-bearers of agricultural land, by type of tenure
5.a.2
Proportion of countries where the legal framework (including customary law) guarantees women’s equal rights to land ownership and/or control
5.b
5.b.1
Proportion of individuals who own a mobile telephone, by sex
5.c
Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels
5.c.1
Proportion of countries with systems to track and make public allocations for gender equality and women’s empowerment
Goal 6
Ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all
6.1
By 2030, achieve universal and equitable access to safe and affordable drinking water for all
6.1.1
Proportion of population using safely managed drinking water services
6.2
By 2030, achieve access to adequate and equitable sanitation and hygiene for all and end open defecation, paying special attention to the needs of women and girls and those in vulnerable situations
6.2.1
Proportion of population using (a) safely managed sanitation services and (b) a hand-washing facility with soap and water
6.3
By 2030, improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials, halving the proportion of untreated wastewater and substantially increasing recycling and safe reuse globally
6.3.1
Proportion of domestic and industrial wastewater flows safely treated
6.3.2
Proportion of bodies of water with good ambient water quality
6.4
6.4.1
Change in water-use efficiency over time
6.4.2
Level of water stress: freshwater withdrawal as a proportion of available freshwater resources
6.5
By 2030, implement integrated water resources management at all levels, including through transboundary cooperation as appropriate
6.5.1
Degree of integrated water resources management
6.5.2
Proportion of transboundary basin area with an operational arrangement for water cooperation
6.6
6.6.1
Change in the extent of water-related ecosystems over time
6.a
6.a.1
Amount of water- and sanitation-related official development assistance that is part of a government-coordinated spending plan
6.b
Support and strengthen the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management
6.b.1
Proportion of local administrative units with established and operational policies and procedures for participation of local communities in water and sanitation management
Goal 16
Promote peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels
16.1
Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere
16.1.1
16.1.2
16.1.3
Proportion of population subjected to (a) physical violence, (b) psychological violence and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months
16.1.4
Proportion of population that feel safe walking alone around the area they live after dark
16.2
End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children
16.2.1
Proportion of children aged 1–17 years who experienced any physical punishment and/or psychological aggression by caregivers in the past month
16.2.2
16.2.3
Proportion of young women and men aged 18–29 years who experienced sexual violence by age 18
16.3
Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all
16.3.1
Proportion of victims of (a) physical, (b) psychological and/or (c) sexual violence in the previous 12 months who reported their victimization to competent authorities or other officially recognized conflict resolution mechanisms
16.3.2
16.3.3
Proportion of the population who have experienced a dispute in the past two years and who accessed a formal or informal dispute resolution mechanism, by type of mechanism
16.4
By 2030, significantly reduce illicit financial and arms flows, strengthen the recovery and return of stolen assets and combat all forms of organized crime
16.4.1
16.4.2
16.5
Substantially reduce corruption and bribery in all their forms
16.5.1
16.5.2
16.6
Develop effective, accountable and transparent institutions at all levels
16.6.1
16.6.2
Proportion of population satisfied with their last experience of public services
16.7
Ensure responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels
16.7.1
Proportions of positions in national and local institutions, including (a) the legislatures; (b) the public service; and (c) the judiciary, compared to national distributions, by sex, age, persons with disabilities and population groups
16.7.2
16.8
Broaden and strengthen the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance
16.8.1
Proportion of members and voting rights of developing countries in international organizations
16.9
By 2030, provide legal identity for all, including birth registration
16.9.1
16.10
Ensure public access to information and protect fundamental freedoms, in accordance with national legislation and international agreements
16.10.1
16.10.2
16.a
Strengthen relevant national institutions, including through international cooperation, for building capacity at all levels, in particular in developing countries, to prevent violence and combat terrorism and crime
16.a.1
16.b
Promote and enforce non-discriminatory laws and policies for sustainable development
16.b.1
Goal 17
Strengthen the means of implementation and revitalize the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development
17.1
Strengthen domestic resource mobilization, including through international support to developing countries, to improve domestic capacity for tax and other revenue collection
17.1.1
17.1.2
17.2
Developed countries to implement fully their official development assistance commitments, including the commitment by many developed countries to achieve the target of 0.7 per cent of ODA/GNI to developing countries and 0.15 to 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries; ODA providers are encouraged to consider setting a target to provide at least 0.20 per cent of ODA/GNI to least developed countries
17.2.1
17.3
Mobilize additional financial resources for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.1
Additional financial resources mobilized for developing countries from multiple sources
17.3.2
17.4
Assist developing countries in attaining long-term debt sustainability through coordinated policies aimed at fostering debt financing, debt relief and debt restructuring, as appropriate, and address the external debt of highly indebted poor countries to reduce debt distress
17.4.1
17.5
Adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for least developed countries
17.5.1
Number of countries that adopt and implement investment promotion regimes for developing countries, including the least developed countries
17.6
Enhance North-South, South-South and triangular regional and international cooperation on and access to science, technology and innovation and enhance knowledge sharing on mutually agreed terms, including through improved coordination among existing mechanisms, in particular at the United Nations level, and through a global technology facilitation mechanism
17.6.1
Fixed broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants, by speed
17.7
Promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies to developing countries on favourable terms, including on concessional and preferential terms, as mutually agreed
17.7.1
Total amount of funding for developing countries to promote the development, transfer, dissemination and diffusion of environmentally sound technologies
17.8
Fully operationalize the technology bank and science, technology and innovation capacity-building mechanism for least developed countries by 2017 and enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology
17.8.1
17.9
Enhance international support for implementing effective and targeted capacity-building in developing countries to support national plans to implement all the Sustainable Development Goals, including through North-South, South-South and triangular cooperation
17.9.1
Dollar value of financial and technical assistance (including through North-South, South‑South and triangular cooperation) committed to developing countries
17.10
Promote a universal, rules-based, open, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading system under the World Trade Organization, including through the conclusion of negotiations under its Doha Development Agenda
17.10.1
17.11
Significantly increase the exports of developing countries, in particular with a view to doubling the least developed countries’ share of global exports by 2020
17.11.1
Developing countries’ and least developed countries’ share of global exports
17.12
Realize timely implementation of duty-free and quota-free market access on a lasting basis for all least developed countries, consistent with World Trade Organization decisions, including by ensuring that preferential rules of origin applicable to imports from least developed countries are transparent and simple, and contribute to facilitating market access
17.12.1
Weighted average tariffs faced by developing countries, least developed countries and small island developing States
17.13
Enhance global macroeconomic stability, including through policy coordination and policy coherence
17.13.1
17.14
Enhance policy coherence for sustainable development
17.14.1
17.15
Respect each country’s policy space and leadership to establish and implement policies for poverty eradication and sustainable development
17.15.1
17.16
Enhance the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources, to support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals in all countries, in particular developing countries
17.16.1
Number of countries reporting progress in multi-stakeholder development effectiveness monitoring frameworks that support the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals
17.17
Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships, building on the experience and resourcing strategies of partnerships
17.17.1
Amount in United States dollars committed to public-private partnerships for infrastructure
17.18
By 2020, enhance capacity-building support to developing countries, including for least developed countries and small island developing States, to increase significantly the availability of high-quality, timely and reliable data disaggregated by income, gender, age, race, ethnicity, migratory status, disability, geographic location and other characteristics relevant in national contexts
17.18.1
Statistical capacity indicators
17.18.2
17.18.3
Number of countries with a national statistical plan that is fully funded and under implementation, by source of funding
17.19
By 2030, build on existing initiatives to develop measurements of progress on sustainable development that complement gross domestic product, and support statistical capacity-building in developing countries
17.19.1
17.19.2
Proportion of countries that (a) have conducted at least one population and housing census in the last 10 years; and (b) have achieved 100 per cent birth registration and 80 per cent death registration
SDG 14 targets covered
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Deliverables & Timeline
Convening leading women water diplomats from water insecure and conflict sensitive basins from around the world to adopt and launch the Women in Water Diplomacy Network’s Global Strategy and A Rising Tide joint statement.
Central Asia and Afghanistan Network members participated in the Conference on the International Decade for Action, 'Water for Sustainable Development,' and directly contributed to the Dushanbe Declaration, ‘From Dushanbe 2022 to New York 2023'.
Launch of the Women in Water Management Network in Central Asia and Afghanistan. Launch of the Women in Water Diplomacy Leadership Council
Launch of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network in the Nile
Convene leading women water diplomats from water insecure and conflict sensitive basins from around the world in the Second Global Network Forum to advance identified priorities in the Women in Water Diplomacy Network's 'A Path Forward for Women, Water, Peace and Security' Global Strategy.
Host the Women in Water Diplomacy Network Global Water Diplomacy Symposium in advance of the UN Water Conference to enable networking, foster partnerships, and encourage information exchange amongst the formal and informal water diplomats attending the UN Water Conference, with a focus on critical themes related to transboundary basins globally, and water insecure and conflict sensitive basins in particular. Further, the Symposium will aim to elevate voices of women water diplomats, Indigenous leaders, and young water professionals - all communities often excluded from high level water diplomacy dialogues - and emphasize the critical value of a diversity of voices in advance of the high-level policy dialogues and events taking place at the UN Water Conference. The Symposium will serve to build relationships and foster partnerships across the growing Women in Water Diplomacy Network and community of supporters and partners ensuring strong engagement at the Network events throughout the UN Water Conference program and side events.
Resources mobilized
Partnership Progress
Feedback
Action Network
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Timeline
Entity
Region
- Africa
- Europe
- North America
- West Asia
Other beneficiaries
The Women in Water Diplomacy Network consists of members of the Women in Water Diplomacy Network in the Nile (initiated in 2017), the Women in Water Management Network in Central Asia and Afghanistan (initiated in 2021) as well as the supporters of both networks and representatives of newly developing basin communities in Africa and the Americas. The Networks are ‘informal engagements for formal actors’ and include representatives of the Ministries of Water and Foreign Affairs or other related ministries as well as informal influential intermediaries such as academics and civil society leaders from dozens of countries on the frontlines of water insecurity including Afghanistan*, Angola, Botswana, Egypt, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Kazakhstan, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, Lesotho, Rwanda, South Africa, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Tajikistan, Tanzania, Uganda, Uzbekistan, Zambia and Zimbabwe. (*Afghan Network representatives originally appointed by the government in 2020 remain active in the Network in their now informal capacities, many originally appointed members are now currently outside of Afghanistan).
Countries
Contact Information
Elizabeth , Senior Manager, International Programs, Environmental Law Institute on behalf of ZAMCOM and the Women in Water Diplomacy Network and its partners