Projects
IRC has a number of projects involving a variety of partners, funding mechanisms and life spans, all contributing to the overall aim of facilitating the sharing, promotion and use of knowledge to improve the long-term effectiveness of development work in the water supply and sanitation sector.
UN Water Decade
The United Nations have declared the period from 2005 to 2015 the International Decade for Action, "Water for Life" starting on World Water Day, 22 March 2005.
International decade, 2005-2015, "Water for Life"
The goals of the Decade "Water for Life" are aimed at having a strong focus on implementation of water-related programmes and projects. At the same time they are also striving to ensure in particular the participation and involvement of women in water-related development efforts, and cooperation at all levels, in order to help to achieve internationally agreed water-related goals contained in Agenda 21, the Programme for the Further Implementation of Agenda 21, the United Nations Millennium Declaration and the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation, and, as appropriate, those identified during the twelfth and thirteenth sessions of the Commission on Sustainable Development.
A programme of work for the Decade is currently under consideration by UN Water
Celebrating water for life
Year of publication: 2005
WHO (2005) Celebrating water for life : the International Decade for Action 2005-2015 : World Day for Water 2005 22 March : an advocacy guide. Geneva, Switzerland, World Health Organization. – 35 p. – 6 ref.
This booklet aims to communicate the purpose and aim of the UN International Decade for Action Water for Life 2005–2015. It introduces key issues relevant to water: the current challenges and situation, some facts and figures. The main areas covered are: water for health, biodiversity and environment, agriculture and energy. Cross-cutting issues are: a gender perspective on water and sanitation, and water and the MDGs. The booklet provides suggestions and recommendations of what can be achieved in the Decade. It includes sheets on the key steps in the planning process of water for life activities: collect information; develop key messages; work with the media; and assess impacts of efforts made. The booklet calls on organizations to transform their local or national statistics into key messages and stories that should support successes, identify gaps and set out the next steps in their Water for Life campaign.
World Water Day marks launch of new Decade of Action – Water for Life
World Water Day - 22 March 2005 - marks the start of a new UN International Decade for Action on water. The Water for Life Decade 2005-2015 will give a high profile to implementing water-related programmes and the participation of women. The UN hopes that the Decade will boost the chances of achieving international water related goals and the United Nations Millennium Declaration.
Water, gender and poverty
Within Water for Life IRC will focus on water, gender and poverty alleviation. Water and sanitation are critical factors to alleviate poverty and hunger, for sustainable development, for environmental integrity, and for human health.
Communities have complex priorities for the use of water for economic activity and for household use. Men and women often have different priorities and responsibilities. A gender focus is not simply about ‘involving women’. It is about recognising the roles of men and women, and ensuring that the voices of women, who are mainly responsible for household water but who also want economic activity, are acted on.
The first water decade – from 1981 to 1990 – brought water to over a billion people and sanitation to almost 77 million. But the job was only half done. There are still almost 1.1 billion people without adequate access to water and 2.4 billion without adequate sanitation.
Water priorities of women and men often differ
Water is vital, not only for drinking, cooking and household use, but for vegetable gardens, farming and almost all economic activity. Competition for water leads to disputes, drives marginal farmers into poverty and leaves the weakest without the means to sustain life and health.
Limited access to water is an insuperable obstacle to escaping poverty. Rural women spend hours each day fetching water. In towns, the poor pay more for water than the better off with piped supplies.
The Asian Development Bank estimates that one in three Asians does not have access to a safe drinking water source within 200 meters of home, and one in two Asians lacks adequate sanitation.
Women and men both need water – but their plans for it may be very different. In a north Benin project women and men welcomed plans for boreholes in their villages. However, women wanted to use their extra time to develop market gardens at home, improve food security and sell the surplus, while men wanted the women to help work their land. A follow up survey showed that more time was indeed spent working the land than on growing vegetables.
Research and experience from the Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) demonstrate that when women and men are involved in making decisions on how to share, supply and protect water, it can be used efficiently and fairly.
Even in South Africa, where 50% of the membership of decision-making committees must be women, Barbara Schreiner, Deputy Director-General at DWAF, says: “It is easier to write good policy than to turn it into reality.” The Water Research Commission (WRC) in South Africa conducted a study in four villages close to the town of Peddie. Researcher Priscilla Monyai, found: “The project was all about providing water, and the gender aspect was just an afterthought.” Mr. Jako, the steering committee chairperson agreed. "People were so excited to get water. When these other issues like gender were raised, you found that people were impatient.
