What happens if there is not enough water for an extended period of time? Or when the water supply is not managed in an equitable manner? People experience stress in their daily lives, which makes already existing inequalities worse. However, you are not alone in understanding the implications of these issues. The Gender & IWRM Online Course unlocks the existing challenges and provides solutions faced by women and vulnerable groups when dealing with water.
After a successful first cohort of 900+ water professionals, the online course on Gender and Integrated Water Resources Management (IWRM) will be relaunched on August 1, 2022. It was jointly developed by Cap-Net UNDP, GWP, and the Gender and Water Alliance (GWA), and it will be accessible on the Cap-Net virtual campus.
“The most valuable concept this course introduced to me is the ways on adapting and integrating gender equality in planning for water resources management such as using the gender analysis method.” (The Philippines)
The first version of this online course was launched in October 2021, aiming at increasing practitioners' understanding of the benefits of meaningfully incorporating gender into water resources management.
The foundation of this online course is the training manual - Why Gender Matters in IWRM - developed by Cap-Net and GWA. The programme contains comprehensive tools on how to incorporate gender in IWRM, supported by a wealth of experience across the world through real-life case studies. Four modules provide examples of tools and practical ways forward, under the following topics:
- Introduction to Gender and Integrated Water Resources Management
- Gender, Water, and Climate Change
- Gender, Water, and Meaningful Participation in Decision-making Processes
- Gender-disaggregated Data and Monitoring IWRM
Various monitoring and gender-specific indicators are also covered in the course, and at the end, participants will be able to design and implement integrated and inclusive water sector interventions that ensure strong inclusion of marginalised groups.
Format & duration
The course is self-paced and free of charge, with a total duration of approximately 20 hours.
This year’s cohort will have two opportunities to engage with a larger community of practitioners of Gender and IWRM. Students will be able to participate in live sessions on an invitation-only basis. Also, the forum discussions will be a part of a dedicated Community of Practice hosted on the GWP Toolbox IWRM Action Hub to connect professionals from all over the world.
Discover if you are a good fit for this course
This course is open to participants who represent various stakeholder groups from the entire water sector. Examples of possible candidates are provided below:
- Stakeholders and professionals forming part of water management, civil society, river basin, or international organisations; development programmes, members of UN organisations, and representatives of the private sector
- Sustainable Development Goals focal points and facilitators within national governments
- Decision-makers, policymakers, and high-level professionals and managers active in governmental bodies
- Capacity developers active in the fields of integrated water resources management, climate action, gender mainstreaming, stakeholder engagement, monitoring and evaluation, among others
A basic understanding of the effects of climate change on water resources is expected of participants. It is not necessary to have any prior knowledge of gender or how it interacts with water. You can find more information in the overview.