PRESS RELEASE - December 2009

UNESCO-IHE and the Women for Water Partnership (WfWP) have agreed to jointly enhance women's participation in achieving sustainable livelihoods. With the launch of this strategic partnership, UNESCO-IHE and the WfWP will work on UNESCO-IHE’s Waters & Society Programme, on the World Water Development Report of the United Nations and on the follow-up of the outcomes of World Water Forum 5.

Co-convenors

WfWP and UNESCO-IHE were co-convenors of Topic 6.1 ‘Education and Capacity Development Strategies’ at the World Water Forum, at which their creative approach in highlighting the issues drew many accolades. The strategic partnership is intended to broaden the joint efforts towards inclusion of gender issues and women’s empowerment in the water and sanitation sectors.

Scholarship

Besides this UNESCO-IHE grants WfWP participation in technical and high level events; a future scholarship and internship programme. This also will be aimed at enhancing women’s participation and practice on the ground components in the education programs of UNESCO-IHE and its academic partners will be developed. The new partners will disseminate each other's material at events and will fundraise together.

Women for Water Partnership

Women for Water Partnership is an international network of women’s organisations with presence in approximately 100 countries of the world. They contribute to women’s empowerment and combating poverty taking water and sanitation as a point of entry.

For more information, please contact:

UNESCO-IHE Institute for Water Education
Alida Pham, Communication & Marketing Officer
M: +31 (0)6 - 12 974 079
T: +31 (0)15 - 21 51 722
a.pham@unesco-ihe.org

Women for Water Partnership
Mary-Ann Sandifort, Communication Officer
+ 31 – (0) 70 – 326 41 76
communication@womenforwater.org
www.womenforwater.org