About

GWP’s VISION is a water secure world. Our MISSION is to advance governance and management of water resources for sustainable and equitable development.

OUR UNIQUE VALUE: GWP mobilises action on the global water crisis through a unique combination of social capital, shared values, credibility within the global water community, bottom-up orientation, and expertise. A network of networks, we ensure the ‘voices of water’ can inﬂuence local, national, regional, and global development priorities. We are committed to our role as a neutral convener and respected for our focus on inclusiveness and sustainability.

Learn

GWP creates and communicates information about integrated water resources management which contributes to improved water governance and, ultimately, water security.

Together with our Partners, we provide knowledge resources and capacity building activities for solving water problems.

Partner

Institutional Partners are the basis of GWP's multi-stakeholder partnership. A strong, diverse partnership can bring about the changes needed to achieve a water secure world. In this section, learn about the benefits of being a Partner and meet a few who already are. We invite like-minded organisations to join us!

GWP Regions

This is where you can find links to the websites of our Regional Water Partnerships (RWPs). RWPs are closest to the countries where we work. They share knowledge and learning across national boundaries and are expected to have an open, inclusive, and gender-sensitive policies for bringing together as wide a group of stakeholders as possible to solve water problems.

Mediterranean Gender

3/6/2020

Kholoud Al-Ajarma Wants Environmental Justice for Everyone

Kholoud Al-Ajarma is a Programme Manager for Lajee Center in Palestine, a Winner of the Water Heroes Contest, and collaborator to GWP Mediterranean. “My interest in water started from a human rights perspective. I believed that water is not only a science concern, but to have a better future in water management, all segments of society should collaborate to ensure water access to everyone and to raise awareness about water management and consumption among local communities,” she says. Today, her main motivation in is to ensure environmental justice for everyone. She shares her story in celebration of International Women’s Day (IWD2020).

I started volunteering and working with refugees on various projects related mainly to media and human rights when I was 12 years old. This was primarily in Aida Refugee Camp where I was born and also in many refugee communities around the 'West Bank'. During that time, I strived to develop the skills of young people in refugee camps and to ensure that refugee communities can live in dignity.

Within the daily lives of Palestinian refugees, water was always present as a struggle for survival weather in the shortages of water access due to the Israeli control over water resources, scarcity of water available for consumption or water contamination due to the old infrastructure. Within the refugee communities, however, the need for water and its shortages meant that people had to find ways for water saving and reuse. Women in particular had the responsibility to ensure water availability for cleaning, cooking, and drinking.

Due to my work with women and children in the media and human rights fields, I found that awareness and collaboration is key in water management. Therefore, I began conducting research on water, especially in relation to migration and education. I found that educational materials (including schoolbooks, games, TV programmes, and social media) play an essential role in shaping people's awareness and there is a need to mainstream water issues in these fields. Also, I found that collaboration among young people can lead to greater awareness of water issues.

For example, in the Mediterranean Youth for Water Network (MedYWat) where I am the Water and Migration Focal Point, many young water professionals from around the Mediterranean region collaborate in ensuring better water management in the region where youth are active change agents. The backgrounds of those youth vary but what brings them together is the passion for positive change in the water sector and youth representation in the region. My main motivation for my work in the water sector is to ensure environmental justice for everyone. I think women are taking and can take the lead to ensure that their families get adequate living standard, water, food, and basic human rights.

Gender equality is key in empowering women and girls. This includes equality in the workplace, access to education and development opportunities especially for young people. There is a need for engagement of women in policy dialogue around as well as access to research institutions and the academic sectors.

In my research conducted among women working in the water sector, I found that young women believed that they faced additional challenges in the field due to their gender including sexism, harassment and patriarchy in the workplace. Female respondents also stated limited accessibility to information and decision-making and lack of appointments to higher positions, despite their qualifications. For gender equality to be a reality, not just an aspiration, the tools, methods, finance mechanisms and opportunities for leadership should be available for them now.

Photo: Kholoud Al-Ajarma

Page last edited: 3/6/2020