About Us
Billions of people in rural and urban communities around the world have difficulty in accessing clean and safe water resources. The WHO estimates that more than 5 billion people may live in prolonged water shortage and water-stressed areas in 2025 and that the situation may further worsen in many developing countries. Water has strong gender dimensions both in accessing clean water and water utilization in various household, agricultural and industrial sectors. According to UN-Water, in many countries, the presence or absence of safe and sufficient water supply and improved sanitation facilities has a isproportionate effect on the lives of women and girls. In many rural areas, women and girls have the burden of fetching water for daily use from remote areas, and in doing so often face violence and harassment. The lack of adequate access to water also particularly affects them because of their specific needs for personal hygiene.
A critical prerequisite for achieving the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals (UNSDGs) No. 5 (Gender Equality), No. 6 (Clean Water), and No. 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth) is a better understanding of the status of the role and engagement of women in the safe use and management of water resources and their empowerment. The issues involved go beyond access and household use and include water pollution control, water conservation in agriculture as well as technological innovation.
Even though the role and participation of women are generally recognized as critical, according to the WHO report on a gender erspective, women’s participation in water sectors other than at the household level is considerably less than that of men. Women are also less acquainted with and exposed to the available scientific, eco-friendly water management strategies and technologies. This gender discrimination varies from region to region.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) focus on universal access to safe drinking water, basic sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) to address shortcomings widespread in low and middleincome nations and for vulnerable people. In general, WASH-related challenges among women must be handled optimally to achieve gender equity goals. Despite these gender-related shortcomings, research on the intersection of gender and water is extremely limited, and addressing gender-water disparities will necessitate focused resources to fill up the gaps. For example, the 2014 Joint Monitoring Report by WHO and UNICEF did not collect sex-disaggregated data. The World Water Development Report, 2019 also highlights this gap, more specifically related to WASH and Hygiene Management related challenges for risk populations living in vulnerable situations. It is also noted that gender approaches are not being adopted at the policy and implementation level. Therefore, the water-gender interlinkages need to be carefully examined and, subsequently, integrated into the policies. Appropriate use of tools, effective and sustainable policies, monitoring the programs and projects, identifying the responsible institutions/organizations to take a decision on planning and implementation approaches are required to be addressed especially in developing countries.
In this context, the Centre for Science & Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre), New Delhi, India, in partnership with the JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research (JSSAHER), Mysuru, Karnataka, India and the Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE), Amstelveen, the Netherlands will be organizing an International Workshop on Gender Issues in Water Management in Developing Countries and Sustainable Development during February 22nd and 23rd, 2022 with aim to gain experience on gender and social equity approaches to water management, and assist the development of local knowledge and resources and facilitate dissemination of knowledge and information. The Workshop will be hosted and organized by JSSAHER in Virtual-Mode.
NAM S&T CENTRE
The Centre for Science and Technology of the Non-Aligned and Other Developing Countries (NAM S&T Centre) is an InterGovernmental Organisation with a Membership of 47 countries spread over Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Latin America. The Centre was set up in 1989 in New Delhi, India, based on decisions taken during various NAM Summits and mandated to undertake a variety of programmes, including organization of workshops, symposiums and training courses and implementation of collaborative projects. It also offers short-term Research Fellowships to scientists from developing countries in association with the Centres of Excellence in various countries. The Centre also brings out technical books, monographs and other scientific publications in different S&T subjects of interest to developing countries. The Centre’s activities provide an opportunity for scientist-to-scientist contact and interactions; familiarizing participants on the latest developments and techniques in the subject areas; identification of the requirements of training and expert assistance; locating technologies for transfer between the Members and other developing countries, and dissemination of S&T information etc. In addition, the Centre encourages Academic R&D-Industry interactions in the developing countries through its NAM S&T-Industry Network.
JSS Academy of Higher Education and Research, Mysuru
JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research (JSS AHER), formerly known as JSS University, is a Deemed to be University located in Mysuru, Karnataka, India. It was established in 2008 under Section 3 of the UGC Act 1956 and is part of JSS Mahavidyapeetha, which runs a variety of educational institutions. This deemed-to-be university is recognized by the Ministry of Education, Government of India and accredited by NAAC with A+ Grade (3.48 CGPA). JSS AHER has been graded as Category-I Deemed-tobe University by UGC. In the Times Higher Education (THE) World rankings 2022, JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research was ranked in the band of 351-400 in the world. It is the only university in India ranked into the top 100 (ranked 93rd in the world) in clinical and health studies of the Times Higher Education World University Rankings by Subject in 2022. JSS AHER has been focusing on teaching, research and health services since its inception. Under the leadership and gracious Patronage and Blessings of His Holiness Jagadguru Sri Shivarathri Deshikendra Mahaswamiji, the Chancellor of JSS Academy of Higher Education & Research, Pro-Chancellor, Dr. B. Suresh, a noted multifaceted leader of repute and Vice-Chancellor, Dr. Surinder Singh, an acclaimed Administrator and an expert in healthcare regulations, JSS AHER has made great progress in grooming graduates, postgraduates, and Ph.D. researchers by providing effective value-based education across our institutions by focusing on the overall development of an individual through state-of-art facilities to make the learner a useful citizen to the society.
Scientific Committee on Problems of the Environment (SCOPE)
SCOPE is an international multidisciplinary non-profit ongovernmental organization based in the Netherlands. The objective of the SCOPE is to serve as a source of advice with respect to emerging ecological and environmental issues, seeking to advance knowledge of the influence of humans on the environment, as well as the effects of these environmental changes upon mankind, its health and its well-being. In order to reach that goal, the activities of SCOPE include: to advance and facilitate studies of fundamental environmental processes, develop collaborative programmes among Scientific Unions, National Members and Scientific Committees and other appropriate organizations including those concerned with the social sciences and the biological aspects of the medical sciences, and promote education in, and understanding of, environmental issues. SCOPE is an affiliated Member of the International Science Council (ISC).
