Equity in the Flow: Exploring Gender and Values in Water Decision-Making

Keynote Dona Geagea is a senior facilitator and researcher, with a decade of work experience in the water sector as a stakeholder engagement specialist. Now specializing in social and environmental policy, she is completing doctoral research on social movements and emerging water governance practices, with a gender focus using feminist political ecology. She is co-lead of the VWI Gender Journey.

Panelist Yara Fernandes is the Chief of Party at the Nature Conservancy overseeing all aspects of the HEARTH Okavango project. She has extensive experience in leadership of international development and a masters in Development Studies. Yara’s expertise lies in creating and implementing programs that address the intersection of gender and social and economical resources, ensuring that women’s voices are not only heard but prioritized in decision-making processes.

Panelist Dennis van Peppen is the Lead International Water programmes, RVO, Netherlands Enterprise & Development Agency. He has experience in project and program management in both the public and private sectors, and has a passion for water management but also for international development, international politics and international political economy. He has a master’s degree in International Relations from the University of Amsterdam.

Moderator Kathryn Pharr is the co-lead for the VWI Gender Journey and Founder of the Community of Women in Water. Kathryn’s decade of working on water policy includes issues relating to climate change, gender, transboundary, urban resilience, IWRM, governance, finance, and WASH. Kathryn has worked with the Alliance for Global Water Adaptation (AGWA), Arup, the U.S. Department of State, USAID, the University of Oxford, and WaterAid.