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The forum began with a high-level panel, facilitated by Australian Ambassador to Lao PDR Mr. John Williams, which discussed opportunities to promote women leadership in national and transboundary water governance policies. It also highlighted steps taken by governments in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Myanmar to improve social inclusion and gender equity in national policies.

The Government of Cambodia, for example, has established an inter-ministerial Technical Working Group on Gender with representatives from all national ministries. In Myanmar, the government is conducting a Strategic Environmental Assessment, with a focus on gender and social-ecological issues, and taking a basin-wide approach to understand effects of proposed hydropower developments in the country's primary river basins.

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In Lao PDR, the government is working to include the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), including SDG 5 – Achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls – in national and local planning processes, policies and strategies. Lao PDR’s 8th National Socio-Economic Development Plan – the country’s guiding strategic policy document – has already linked its indicators to those of the SDGs.

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Discussions at the forum highlighted cultural norms and preconceptions about gender roles in society as real challenges that could only be addressed through concerted effort and cooperation between the civil society, government and academic sectors.

“Women play a critical role in providing, managing and safeguarding water resources,” ����������Ms Phoutsakhone Ounchith, Head of the ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� Lao PDR country office, “making it necessary to identify ways to enhance their participation and leadership in water governance at all levels.”

Vishwa Ranjan, BRIDGE Programme Officer for ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� Asia, shared the story of Ms Rinku Das, a young woman elected as leader of Namkhana Panchayat (village cluster) in the Indian Sundarbans in 2013. Under Ms Das’s leadership, there has been improvements in healthcare, education, economic empowerment of women, sanitation, and solid and liquid waste management. All these contributed to improved basin level outcomes under the ganga action plan implemented in 1986.

The forum closed with a discussion about the need to develop stronger linkages between gender and water governance disciplines in research and education, monitor the impacts of ongoing regional efforts such as the ASEAN Vientiane declaration on Enhancing Gender Perspective, and strengthen capacity of organizations on gender issues.

The forum also concluded that the partnership between the Lao and Vietnam Women’s Unions, which aims to engage national governments in supporting the inclusion of gender in all aspects of water governance polices and planning, should be strengthened.

Please download the event report here.

View video of the workshop

 is an ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� initiative that focuses on enhancing water governance capacities in nine trans-boundary basins in three regions across the globe. Through approaches that emphasise stakeholder learnings and consensus building, BRIDGE aims to catalyse transboundary cooperation for equitable and sustainable water resources development. BRIDGE is implemented by ������ϲʿ�������ֳ�ֱ�� with the support of the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation. In the Mekong region, BRIDGE activities are carried out in the Sekong, Sesan and Sre Pok river basins.