Gendering Water and Climate Science Research in South Asia (GWCS) is an action research project designed by a South Asia based consortium of three water education and research institutes located in Sri Lanka, Nepal, and Bangladesh.

The project builds on a larger program known as South Asia Water (SAWA) program, initiated in 2005, which focuses on developing the capacities of a critical mass of South Asian water scholars in interdisciplinary approaches to integrated and gender-sensitive water resources management (WRM). The program also aims to endorse more balanced gender representation within the field.

GWCS seeks to understand the effectiveness of this capacity development initiative in shaping participants’ knowledge, attitudes, and skills related to core gender concepts and their relevance to WRM. It also examines whether the program has enhanced scholars’ ability to apply gender and interdisciplinary perspectives in WRM research and practice, particularly in the context of climate change in South Asia. In addition, the project explores the roles of pedagogical, institutional, and market factors in either enabling or constraining interdisciplinary and gender-responsive research and practice in the region.

The broader goal of GWCS is to improve tools and methods for interdisciplinary and gender training in higher education institutions, while strengthening networks for knowledge exchange, advocacy, and mentorship related to interdisciplinary and gender research in the water sector.

The project is funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC), Canada. It is one of seven projects selected under the Gender in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (GIST) Research Initiative, part of the Science and Education program of IDRC.