Gender Water Utilities

8/3/2019 Gender Water Utilities

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,and Utilities



CHAIR AND PANELISTS

CHAIR:

• , , ,Asian Development Bank

PANELISTS1:

• nne ar er, Managing Director, City West Water, Australia

• Rodora Gamboa, General Manager, Davao City Water District, Philippines

• Esther de Jong, Deputy

Director,

Gender

and

Water

Alliance,

The

Netherlands

• Nargiza Ta ipova, Portfolio Management Officer (Social Sector), ADB, Uzbekistan

• Phomma Veoravanh, Project Director, Department of Housing and Urban

Planning, Ministry of Public Works and Transport, Lao PDR

1Galina Stulina, former project manager, Gender and Water Network in Central Asia, Uzbekistan isunable to attend but has shared her views on the topic and issues.



THE SESSION TEAM

ANCHORS:

• Anupma Jain, Social Sector Specialist, Southeast Asia Department, ADB

• Imrana Ja a , Senior Social Development Specialist (Gender and Development),

Regional and

Sustainable

Development

Department,

ADB

SPECIAL THANKS:

• Dennis von Custodio, Venue Coordinator; Sonomi Tanaka, Principal Social

Development Specialist (Gender & Development); Jennifer Francis, Senior Staff

Development Specialist;

Michael White,

Urban

Development

Specialist;

Mekhri Khudayberdiyeva, Social and Gender Development Adviser; Water Crisis and Choices Conference Team, including Bob Hood (Event Facilitator), Connie Garcia (Event Coordinator), Ellen Pascua, RosetteKapunan‐

Ong, Marc Corazon Ebarvia, Gladys Franco, Juan Paolo Aglahian, Cezar Tigno, Gino

Pascua; and many other colleagues which

we

do

not

have

room

to

mention

by name!



SESSION OVERVIEW

• The session highlights present practices of utilities with

women as:

Informed consumers;

and

Employees, managers and leaders.

• Discussions will cover specific issues in women and water

and provide

possible

solutions.

• Discussions will also focus on the implications of gender equity and women’s empowerment for utilities as they seek

, operations.



“WATER FOR ALL”

• UN resolution recognizes access to clean water and

sanitation as a human right.

• National socioeconomic development plans highlight the importance of water and sanitation, including its

impact on improved health, economic productivity and

overall well

‐being.

• Increases pressure on governments and organizations

to scale up efforts to provide safe, accessible and

a or a e

r n ng wa er

an

san a on

or

a .



UTILITIES ARE BUSINESSES

• Utilities are learning to be better managers of water resources

and service roviders.

• Piped and

treated

water

is

a commodity.

range of factors.

• The rice utilities char e consumers is

influenced by factors not under their control.

determines the level of profit or loss

for a utility.



“WATER FOR ALL”

VIEWS ON SOCIAL EQUITY

• Do water utilities have a responsibility to adhere to social equ y pr nc p es n e way ey run e r us nesses or prov e

access to

water

supply?

•

of social equity?

• Do utilities see social e uit as a wider social issue that is best

left to the Government departments responsible for social

welfare to solve while they get on with the everyday task of

deliverin water?

• Is there a trade‐off?



OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCIES

Is it possible to strike a balance?

Operate

efficiently

Providequality,

reliable andan efinanciallysustainablei.e.

a or a ewater to allpopulation

rou s in its

profitable) service area.



WOMEN IN THE SECTOR

• Women are water users and managers of

households

and

communities.

•

price, supply and quality of water.

• They comprise more than 50% of the total population.

They are

an

important

clientele and

valuable human resource.



UTILITIES ARE BUSINESSES:

• Utilities are often viewed as a men’s domain. It

contains a lot of gadgets and tools ‐ machines,

pipes, engines, construction, controls, and so on.

• Current male leadership in utilities fails to

to provide access to the poor.



WOMEN IN THE SECTOR

BENEFITS TO UTILITIES

• What are the current experiences in engaging

women n t e water sector as:

Informed consumers, and

mp oyees, managers an ea ers n ut t es

• What are

the

cost

and

benefits

to

utilities

of

including women?

• re

ere any

prac ca

case

examp es

a

can

e

shared to illustrate and substantiate this?



WOMEN IN THE SECTOR


• Some or anizations and utilities think resolvin the

gender issue is a case of tokenism. It asks utilities toput a woman on the Board, one in a senior,

(e.g., costumer service).

gender issues into their daily operations?

think, operation, grow and provide services?



WOMEN IN THE SECTOR


• In what wa s can overnments

development partners,

communities

hold

utilities accountable for adhering to social



GENDER AND UTILITIES:

IMPACT ON UTILITY PERFORMANCE

• affected by effective “mainstreaming” of

gender

issues into its daily operation and management?

• Do we have any real proof of impact?

• What are the key issues utilities must consider

before gender issues can be comprehensively and



GENDER AND UTILITIES:

IMPACT ON UTILITY PERFORMANCE

• Current mantra: If the Government cannot manage water

, , ,

in public‐private partnerships for its water services.

• Current e ie : Women and poor households, especially

woman‐headed households suffer more when such policies and

approaches are adopted. Such policies may trigger a priceincrease in water.

,



POINTS OF DISCUSSION

• Questions broadly covered the following:

Views on

social

equity

issues

Existing biases (or misconceptions) in utilities

Gender equity and women's empowerment issues in

the sector

adhering to social and gender equity principles

Social and gender issues as they relate back to utility

performance



Documents

Gender Water Utilities