Page 21 - GESI Framework

Gender Equality and social inclusion framework

The Nile Basin’s Pioneering Approach to GESI

The Nile Basin is one of the most challenging places in the He emphasizes that a one-size-fits-all approach to GESI
world to advance gender equality. Patriarchal beliefs, won’t work in such a diverse region. While some
including stereotypes that women can’t understand eastern and central Nile countries are more open to
technical issues, and male resistance to sharing power reconsidering patriarchal norms and values, in countries
often give women little voice in decision-making where women are seen as property of the male heads
processes about water resources, even though water is of households, a different approach is required.
critical to their livelihoods and families.
In those countries, NBD, with support from CIWA, works
Women need to work together “to make decisions about with traditional male leaders to try to instill in them an
how much water is needed, where to get the water, and appreciation of women’s contributions to bringing water
how to organize themselves to extract water from a home to their families and the importance of including
riverbed,” says Donald Kasongi, former secretary-general them in decisions about managing community water
and now chair of the Nile Basin Discourse’s (NBD) resources. These leaders in turn talk with male heads of
Tanzanian chapter, which has been working with CIWA households to encourage the same understanding and
to transform gender relations in water resources acceptance of women’s water-related roles and the need
management across the basin. to involve them in water resource decision-making. NBD
also engages influential women from colleges,
CIWA’s GESI Framework recognizes that most universities, and the news media to help shift community
approaches to addressing gender inequality, such as norms and attitudes.
counting the number of women at meetings to
demonstrate results, are inadequate to make lasting Kasongi says:
progress toward equality. Its GESI approach is about
shifting mindsets and taking a holistic approach by
addressing gender norms and roles; power and decision-
making; access to, and control over, resources; and
institutional barriers to women’s full participation.
Kasongi is doing just that in the Nile Basin. “They are on the frontlines of their

While working on gender issues for 15 years, Kasongi says, communities and know what’s
he finds himself “digging deeper and deeper to understand possible, what’s not possible, and
social norms. It’s not about how many women are in the
room. It’s about making sure that women are agents of what are acceptable strategies”
themselves.”

© NBD - Women Training on Green Jobs and enterprise, Uganda, August 2021

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