Adaptive and Inclusive Watershed Management: Assessing policy and institutional support in Uganda

The document examines Uganda's efforts to integrate gender and climate change considerations into its water sector. It finds that while significant progress has been made in gender-responsive budgeting and women's representation on local water committees, implementation remains weak due to a lack of technical capacity and the persistence of customary gender stereotypes. The link between water and climate change is well-institutionalized, but the intersection of gender and climate change is described as virtually non-existent in terms of funding and representation. The report emphasizes that women's limited land ownership and literacy levels continue to obstruct their effective participation in water management decision-making.

• Uganda has implemented a mandatory gender-responsive budgeting system where the Ministry of Finance, Planning & Economic Development requires ministries, departments, and agencies to mainstream gender and equity issues to receive budget approvals. This is supported by a 'Certificate of Gender and Equity' issued for ministerial policy statements to ensure non-discrimination.
• Women's representation in local water governance is supported by the National Water Policy (1999), which mandates that 50 per cent of water user committees (WUCs) be women and that at least one woman hold a key position. However, women are disproportionately concentrated in treasurer roles (72.5 per cent), while men dominate the positions of Chair (69.8 per cent) and Vice Chair (58.3 per cent).
• There is a stark disparity in the mainstreaming of gender into the water sector versus the climate change sector. While water-gender linkages are established through budgeting and quotas, gender mainstreaming in climate change is described as 'virtually non-existent' regarding funding for adaptation, representation in institutions, and access to information.
• Climate change is severely impacting Uganda's water systems through changing rainfall patterns, degradation of wetlands, and extreme weather events. Specific impacts include the melting of ice caps on the Rwenzori Mountains, which have lost 40 per cent of their ice since 1955, and increased incidences of waterborne diseases like cholera in flooded areas.
• Women face significant barriers to accessing climate and agricultural information compared to men. For example, only 31 per cent of women access agricultural extension services compared to 67 per cent of men, and only 1 per cent of women access newspapers compared to 33 per cent of men.
• Despite policy progress, the implementation of gender mainstreaming is hindered by a lack of gender-disaggregated data and limited technical expertise. In the Ministry of Water and Environment, women's representation in top management declined from 23 per cent in 2014 to 15 per cent in 2017.
• Customary laws and social norms continue to undermine formal policies, particularly regarding land ownership. Women own only 16 per cent of registered land despite providing 7080 per cent of agricultural household labour, which limits their ability to influence decisions on water infrastructure installation and maintenance.

APA

Puzyreva, M., & Roy, D. (2018). Adaptive and Inclusive Watershed Management: Assessing policy and institutional support in Uganda. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-inclusive-watershed-management-uganda.pdf

Chicago

Puzyreva, Marina, and Dimple Roy. Adaptive and Inclusive Watershed Management: Assessing policy and institutional support in Uganda. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2018. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-inclusive-watershed-management-uganda.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Puzyreva |first1=Marina |last2=Roy |first2=Dimple |title=Adaptive and Inclusive Watershed Management: Assessing policy and institutional support in Uganda |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=July 2018 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-inclusive-watershed-management-uganda.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{puzyreva2018adaptive, author = {Puzyreva, Marina and Roy, Dimple}, title = {{Adaptive and Inclusive Watershed Management: Assessing policy and institutional support in Uganda}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2018}, month = jul, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/adaptive-inclusive-watershed-management-uganda.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }