By Zoe Talsma
All countries have a responsibility to ensure that vulnerable and disadvantaged groups are included and accounted for in water allocation and management processes and outcomes.
You may have heard the acronym GEDSI bandied about through our activities, communications and events, but what does it really mean? GEDSI stands for Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion, and is an approach towards ensuring that all groups, particularly minorities and marginalised groups, are considered as a part of any work that is undertaken.
AWP is continuously working towards an inclusive approach to ensure that all members of a community in the areas we undertake activities are considered and engaged throughout – and looking specifically at what the outcomes will be for people impacted by the activity.
What does it take to be truly inclusive?
What this means in practice will look different in each scenario. A flood early warning system could consider the communications and engagement needs for women at home or in the fields, children at school, those who are pregnant, disabled or injured, as well as those in government who need to communicate across ministries.
Updates to a national water law could consider the impacts of legislation on all water users – holding consultations with representation from various stakeholder groups at all levels.
It also means that project leaders need to consider their approach prior to undertaking any work.
A practical approach
In practice, this can be easier than it sounds. A simple Google search of the region you’re planning to work in will help to determine the make-up of the community, particularly looking at the percentage of women, those with disability, how many different cultural groups there are and what languages are spoken. This will provide an initial snapshot of who needs to be engaged and what considerations should be taken to engage them (i.e. can you interview women directly, or will you need to ensure male representatives from their households are present?).
Beyond this, practitioners could consider who the government officials are, what departments are in place, what questions are okay to ask (being respectful of cultural groups and women), and whether they have any barriers to joining a consultation process.
Support for efforts towards inclusivity
For development to be effective, people with disabilities, women, and individuals identifying as LGBTQI+ must be partners on an equal basis. AWP will continue to be led by the experiences and expertise of all groups within society when designing and implementing development activities.
AWP has produced a range of materials and samples to support efforts towards an inclusive approach. Below are some links to these examples, and further reference material is readily available on our GEDSI webpage – but please get in touch if you need further support.
Further training on an inclusive approach to development will be provided to Partners at the 2025 Partners Workshop.
News articles:
Inclusivity in water management for climate solutions – Insights from World Water Week 2024
Accelerating change through disability inclusive water and climate action
Count her in: Invest in women and local organisations to accelerate progress
Resources:
Strengthening disability inclusive water solutions in a changing climate in Cambodia
Technical Support to the Process of Amending Vietnam’s Law on Water Resources
Hydrology Support for Flash Flood Early Warning Systems in The Pacific
Featured image: Person with a disability interviewed in a scoping activity in Cambodia. Credit: Cambodian Disabled People’s Organization/ Samnang Mean.