Four Ways Women Can Help to End the Middle East's Water Crisis

Jul 3, 2023 | Sally Abi Khalil
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Women In the Middle East and North Africa are too often seen as simply water consumers or as water managers just of their own households. They are not given the voice and agency to control water at wider community or institutional levels. Far too often, they are prevented from negotiating access to water – then left to manage the burden of scarcity. Yet we know we must put women at the heart of water policy and interventions for these to be successful and meet the needs of all users. In this blog, I look at four key principles of feminist water management that can deliver water equitably and effectively. As we confront a water crisis exacerbated by conflict in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region, with 41 million people having no access to basic drinking water services, the need for a fresh, feminist approach to water management could not be more urgent.