In this event, the results of the projects of water and sanitation that were carried out in Paraguay, Panama and Nicaragua in the framework of the MDG-Joint Program, integrating gender concerns and cultural inclusion will be presented. Using the ILO's integrated planning and community participation tools, rural and indigenous communities, including women and youth, were trained to have a central and highly participatory role in prioritizing the areas of intervention, and in designing and implementing projects.

Following the positive experience in Panama, Guarani community leaders pursued a similar project to support alternative forms of water management through community participation in Paraguay. These community leaders, who took charge of the intervention projects in their communities, would like to present the multidimensional results of this approach in Stockholm (water accessibility, sanitation, service quality, awareness on sanitation practices, capacity and leadership building on water provision and management, creation of local jobs, sense of project ownership and responsibility)

The initial results of Joint ILO-UN Women Research on the Unpaid Work of Women in Water Supply, which include a study on the gender dimension of the above-mentioned project in Panama as well as the current situation in Mindanao (Philippines) and Senegal, will also be presented at the end of the event.

Refer to the World Water Week for more information.