A/HRC/42/47/Add.5 C. Recommendation on women and girls RECOMMENDATION 18: “Increase the participation of women in decision-making relating to water and sanitation and take special measures to reduce the disproportionate burden on women caused by the lack of access to water and sanitation.” (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para. 72(o)) 69. In his report, the Special Rapporteur addressed the particular difficulties faced by women and girls in Botswana in accessing adequate water and sanitation, and the burden of collecting water that hindered their ability to exercise their full complement of human rights. Furthermore, he noted that women and girls were disproportionately affected by a lack of access to water and sanitation. Despite this, women were rarely called upon to participate in decision-making regarding water and sanitation, and therefore their vital voices and experiences were at risk of being lost (A/HRC/33/49/Add.3, para. 63-65). 70. Following the visit, the Government has identified some efforts it has taken towards ensuring that women are given a more prominent voice in society, and that the issues affecting women are better addressed. In its periodical report, submitted to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, the Government stated that “[t]he Gender National Strategy adopted by the National Gender Machinery has prioritized the following national development areas for gender mainstreaming: […] Social Protection and social services (health, adequate sanitation and improved well-being, access to quality education, training and information, safe housing and consideration for addressing issues of energy and climate change for a sustainable environment).21 Furthermore, the above mentioned project “Emergency Water Security and Efficiency Project” (May 2017 to May 2021) financed by the World Bank (USD $145.5 million) and implemented by the Ministry of Finance and Economic Development, the Ministry of Land Management, Water and Sanitation, and the WUC, identified as one of its objectives the need to “create opportunities for women to participate in water committees and other community-based organizations and so contribute to a fairer gender balance in the management of water service.” 22 71. The Government also stated, in its response to the questionnaire, that “Botswana has appointed a gender focal point personnel, based at Department of Water Affairs, whose responsibility is to facilitate Gender Mainstreaming in the water and sanitation sector. The gender focal point personnel has been trained on dimensions of gender mainstreaming through the assistance of the Southern African Development Community and has conducted community training on gender mainstreaming in the water and sanitation at Bokspits village in 2015, through the assistance of the German Development Agency.” 72. The Special Rapporteur appreciates the efforts by the Government to appoint a gender focal point personnel for gender mainstreaming in the water and sanitation sector, and its implementation of other projects to increase the participation of women in decision-making. However, whilst it might have been premature to see the impacts of these efforts on women, the Special Rapporteur would have liked to have received information on the concrete positive impacts on women and girls’ role in collecting water, and particularly any measures to reduce the disproportionate burden imposed on women and girls to collect water, as well as their human rights. LIMITED PROGRESS: The Special Rapporteur recommends that the Government continue to positively promote women’s involvement in water and sanitation decisionmaking. He further calls on the Government to properly assess the increased participation of women and the improvement of women and girls’ access to water and sanitation, reducing the disproportionate burden on women and girls caused by the inadequate access to water and sanitation. 21 22 18 CEDAW/C/BWA/4, para. 31. World Bank, “Project Appraisal Document on a Proposed Loan in the Amount of US$ 145.5 Million to The Republic of Botswana for a Botswana Emergency Water Security and Efficiency Project February 15, 2017”. Consulted 4 September 2018. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/363411488682883157/pdf/Botswana-PAD-02172017.pdf.