Water for African Cities phase II: UN-HABITAT partnership with the Gender and Water Alliance

This brochure provides background information on UN-HABITAT and its Water for African Cities (WAC) Programme, and the UN-HABITAT and Gender and Water Alliance (GWA) partnership. Fully aware of the burden placed on women and children in fetching water, and the adverse consequences of inadequate supplies in the participating WAC countries, UN-HABITAT, in partnership with the GWA started a Gender Mainstreaming Strategy Initiative (GMSI) in January 2005. The objective of the GMSI is to facilitate the gender mainstreaming of water and sanitation utilities through the development of gender-sensitive norms and standards to enable the poorest urban families to benefit from improved access to safe water and dignified sanitation facilities. This brochure outlines the GMSI eight underlying principles and next steps.