Within the 9th World Water Forum, Deputy Minister Sereni spoke at the special session “Accelerating gender equality in the water domain: the way forward”, promoted by UNESCO’s World Water Assessment Programme.
Deputy Minister Sereni said: “Within the line of action of Italian Development Cooperation, there are interventions aimed at supporting women in the poorest rural and agricultural areas of the planet, promoting female participation in decision-making and planning processes, and facilitating women’s access to credit and financial services. However, it is clear that if the right to water and sanitation is not ensured, achieving any other right will be difficult for them. In many Countries, especially in Africa, economic, social, and cultural reasons make access to water and adequate sanitation very unstable for women and girls, thus undermining their full contribution to social life. Allowing women and girls to have access to water therefore becomes fundamental for them to fully exercise their rights and achieve their aspirations, including participation in public life.” Sereni concluded: “As Cooperation, we are and will be strongly committed to this.”
