Message 46: Lakech Haile

Lakech Haile says that social issues are often left out of programmes and projects that deal with water development and there should be a mechanism whereby all people involved in implementation are responsible for gender issues being addressed.

4. What should be done?

There should be accountability in the water sector for gender (because it is usually left for the Women’s Affairs Departments alone).Thus Ministers of the concerned Ministry should be asked what they have done on this line . Their reports should contain or give emphasis to the social component of the water development. The new Poverty Reduction Strategy 2006 is full of numbers with out even having a single assessment or a word on gender issues or on the social component as a whole( Ethiopia).This as I said earlier that gender is coming at the implementation level.
There should be a continuous information sharing among the people concerned.
There should be a course on gender with in the courses of engineers or technicians.
Water sector institutions should develop a system where by they can mainstream gender .
There should be a mechanism to make all responsible and accountable for the gender issues in its respective programme or protect be it at a national or regional/community level.

These are some of my points on the above agenda.

Thank you.
Lakech Haile
Ministry of Water Resources
Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.