Question to the Department for International Development:

To ask the Secretary of State for International Development, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that water, sanitation and hygene services are integrated into its gender and women’s empowerment programmes and its strategic vision for women and girls.

DFID recognises that girls and women may be particularly disadvantaged when adequate water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) facilities are not available. That is why we promote through our policies and programmes a holistic approach which integrates WASH with other development services such as education and health. For example, our Girls’ Education Challenge programme includes activities to improve access to water and sanitation. As part of our upcoming renewed Strategic Vision for Gender Equality, we will intensify action to promote gender equality in water and sanitation programmes. This will help to ensure that girls’ and women’s rights to access water, sanitation and hygiene facilities are realised and that they benefit from security and privacy, for example to meet their menstrual hygiene needs.