On 15 October, 2018 Women politicians and directors in public administration of Navarra came together in the Parliament of Navarra in Pamplona, Spain to address the effects of climate change in their constituencies. Their commitment to urgent and structured action was laid down in a comprehensive Declaration, that builds on the Navarra Roadmap for Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation in an integrated, women-inclusive and gender sensitive way.

On the second day of this impressive ‘Women and Climate Change” gathering, the political commitment was discussed with women leaders from different sectors in society. My panel  zoomed in on women leadership in civil society. I was asked how the global Women for Water Partnership came about some 15 years ago, how women’s civil society can contribute to water security and sustainable development, and how this relates to the current climate change challenges.

Here are the main points of my answer to the panel:

Water security is central to ensuring the well-being and sustainable development of our societies. In the light of climate change, water governance has become even more urgent and challenging. At local levels, where most of the action takes place, the need to move from consultation to participation by stakeholders is obvious, but still lacking in many cases. Including women’s civil society as a lead partner is an important tool to overcome social inertia and to create bespoke solutions that effectively address the needs of a community.

There are many examples of successful projects on the women-water development nexus. However, they are generally small in scale and bringing these successes to scale is quite a challenge. As a success story from the developing world, I mentioned the Women Farmers Advancement Organization of Nigeria (WOFAN), constituting 1,500 self-help groups across six states of Nigeria. WOFAN has changed the outlook for marginalized women farmers for the better, and has improved their climate-resilience in the process.