Pretoria – Water and Sanitation Minister Nomvula Mokonyane says women should be the developers and implementers of new technologies and innovation in water.
Speaking at the Gender, Water and Development Conference 2014 on Tuesday, Minister Mokonyane said that women are under-represented and lagging behind in the water sector.
Minister Mokonyane challenged the conference to assist with identifying gaps to put women at the forefront of the industry and also come up with clear game changers that will take women a step further in the water sector.
She highlighted that the purpose of Annual Women in Water Awards has helped in encouraging and involving women to come up with new innovative means to help save water.
“These women come up with contemporary solutions to water resource management through indigenous knowledge including developing new technologies,” said Minister Mokonyane.
Themed “The Untapped Connection”, the conference is aimed at mainstreaming gender focus in line with African Ministers Council on Water Gender Strategy. It will consider how to address gender, poverty and water challenges across Africa.
Minister Mokonyane said it was easy to draft global goals, but difficult to implement them, especially when financial flows are stressed.
“Because of the all-encompassing role of water within development, there is no way to break the vicious cycle of poverty unless we invest in water resources’ development and management of uncertainty and risk, along with water and sanitation access.
“An enormous challenge lies ahead of us – such as ensuring that we build and sustain partnerships across borders and gender stereotypes as well as the development of a shared vision on water resource management and conservation.”
The conference will in various sessions be deliberating on a number of issues that hinge on the essence of gender and development in the water sector.
These will, include issues such as policy, legislation and human rights. It will also focus on gender mainstreaming in African Water Policies and Strategies, especially, as to how far the country has come.
The week-long conference is being held at the International Convention Centre in East London. – SAnews.gov.za
