The Project
Project Duration:
GEWAMED project has started on 15 February 2006 and will have a duration of 4 years.
The GEWAMED project objectives and activities are largely based on the recommendations of a workshop held at the Mediterranean Agronomic Institute of Bari (Italy) in June 2004 within the framework of the EC-INCO funded Specific Support Action (SSA): "Integrating Gender Dimensions in Water Management in the Mediterranean Region" (INGEDI). The mentioned Workshop identified the main problems limiting the integration of women in water management which are reported below:
- Lack of coordination mechanisms among relevant institutions and related bodies.
- Lack of institutional support for information/dissemination.
- Lack of coordination among women programmes.
- Insufficient knowledge among men and women about their own rights.
- Lack of access to information and technology (particularly in the sanitation area).
- Limited political commitment in integrating gender dimensions in water-related policies, legislations and programmes.
- Few initiatives undertaken to ensure women´s participation in water-related decision-making.
- Lack of skills and knowledge in promoting gender mainstreaming in integrated water resources management.
and suggested the following solutions:
- Establishment of a Mediterranean network to be interlinked with national ones and, where applicable, to existing local networks.
- Develop information and communication strategies.
- Develop a national agenda for mainstreaming gender issues in water resources management.
- Undertake national seminars and workshops with women associations and government agencies.
- Provide information at all levels addressing issues on water and sanitation, and risk assessment.
- Capacity building on gender analysis and participatory tools in water resources management.
- Sensitise policy-makers on the importance of integrating a gender perspective in integrated water resources management.
The GEWAMED project is largely a response to those recommendations strongly felt by the participants of the INGEDI Workshop.
For a detailed description of the project, the reader should refer to the document: Institutional Coordination and Streamlining Partners Activities in the Framework of GEWAMED Project contained in the documentation data base.