WaterAid Pakistan Briefs Sindh Parliamentarians on Advancing GEDSI in WASH Governance

Karachi: WaterAid Pakistan convened a high-level briefing session for members of the Provincial Parliamentary Taskforce on Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at the Sindh Assembly, titled “Empowering Legislators to Champion Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion (GEDSI) in WASH Governance.” The briefing was held at the Committee Room, Sindh Assembly Building, and was presided over by the Convenor of the Taskforce, Mr. Pir Mujeeb ul Haq.

The primary objective of the briefing session was to orient parliamentarians and relevant parliamentary standing committees on advancing GEDSI within WASH governance, strengthen legislative oversight on WASH, and build a shared understanding of inclusive, rights-based WASH policies, planning, and service delivery in Sindh.

While welcoming the Taskforce members, the Convenor emphasized the critical role of legislators in prioritizing inclusive WASH policies, ensuring accountability of service delivery departments, and advocating for adequate budgetary allocations for equitable WASH services.

Ms. Raheema Panhwar, Gender Advisor, WaterAid Pakistan, outlined the objectives of the briefing session, highlighting the need to:

Strengthen parliamentarians’ understanding of GEDSI in WASH governance

Promote inclusive legislation, policies, and budgets for WASH

Enhance the leadership and participation of women, adolescent girls, and persons with disabilities (PWDs) in WASH decision-making

Support parliamentary oversight to ensure accessible, safe, and equitable WASH services for all

Ms. Nighat Imdad, Head of Programme Strategy and Policy presented an overview of WaterAid and shared key highlights of WaterAid Pakistan’s new Country Programme Strategy, along with critical statistics on the state of Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services in Pakistan and WaterAid’s contribution to expanding equitable access to WASH.

During the technical session, Ms. Raheema Panhwar presented WaterAid’s approach to Gender Equality, Disability and Social Inclusion in WASH, emphasizing:

GEDSI analysis to identify systemic barriers in WASH systems

Accessibility and safety audits of WASH services in schools, healthcare facilities, workplaces, and communities

Design and scale-up of inclusive WASH infrastructure and services

Promotion of participatory and women-led leadership, including WASH and oversight committees

Strengthening leadership of women and adolescent girls in Menstrual Health and Hygiene Management (MHM) and WASH governance

Promotion of women-led WASH enterprises

Engagement of men and boys to address harmful gender norms

Policy advocacy, research, and capacity building of government departments and sector partners

The briefing was followed by a constructive discussion on reviewing existing WASH policies, increasing legislative business on WASH issues at the Sindh Assembly floor with WaterAid’s technical support, advocating for enhanced budgetary allocations in the upcoming provincial budget, and continuing such briefing sessions to strengthen parliamentary capacity.

On the occasion, the Secretary, Public Health Engineering Department (PHED) briefed members on the status of functional and non-functional water supply schemes, while Mr. Qasim Soomro, Member Task force highlighted the lack of accurate and integrated WASH data and stressed the need for a coordinated, multi-sectoral response.

The briefing session concluded with a shared commitment that WaterAid Pakistan will continue its engagement with the Provincial Parliamentary Taskforce, providing technical assistance to support inclusive WASH policies, strategies, and services. The collaboration aims to ensure that WASH governance in Sindh advances equity, inclusion, and leadership of women, adolescent girls, and persons with disabilities, and strengthens their voices in WASH-related decision-making.