Water

Blue Bag Seminar
Gender in Water Operations: Launching the Gender Scan

19 February 2004, ADB Headquarters

The Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) and the Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed a letter of agreement in October 2003 to co-sponsor a program of activities to operationalize the Gender in Water Partnership that was launched during the 3^rd World Water Forum in Japan in March 2003. The partnership aims to promote gender mainstreaming in water management within ADB and the GWA water operations through the sharing of knowledge, experience and skills.

The program will work at a strategic level. GWA will assist ADB staff to develop capacity in new approaches and methods of gender mainstreaming and use them to improve operations and formulate policy frameworks.

The first activity under the partnership is the Gender-Scan that will examine ADB's gender practice from an operational as well as institutional perspective, and ensure that gender sensitive practice is routine in all aspects of ADB's work. Gender-Scan will also provide an opportunity to consolidate and formalize the steps ADB has taken, and think strategically about the future.