UNESCO i-WSSM Forum on Water, Gender, and International Cooperation

The Independent Evaluation Unit (IEU) participated in the UNESCO International Centre for Water Security and Sustainable Management (i-WSSM) Forum on Water, Gender, and International Cooperation, held at the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Seoul.

Representing the IEU, Jeehyun Yoon presented evidence from IEU evaluations and reviews on how climate adaptation efforts can better address the intersection of water and gender in developing countries. The presentation underscored that women’s leadership and agency remain largely overlooked in climate and water-related interventions.

Findings from IEU evaluations showed that:

• Women in water-scarce regions continue to bear disproportionate burdens, from long distances to collect water to heightened health risks and exclusion from decision-making.
• Interventions such as water-efficient irrigation systems and ecosystem-based watershed management improved agricultural yields, food security, and household income.
• However, empowerment outcomes remain limited, as leadership, agency, and decision-making power are rarely measured. Gender data gaps also persist.
• Case studies from Bangladesh and Madagascar revealed that while women’s livelihoods improved through GCF-supported interventions, their participation in leadership and decision-making processes was not consistently strengthened.

The IEU emphasized that stronger institutional commitment, gender-disaggregated data, and more rigorous impact evaluations are essential—particularly in the water sector, where evidence remains weakest. The key message: climate finance must treat gender integration as foundational, and evaluations must go beyond economic outcomes to capture empowerment, agency, and resilience.