The Gender and Water Resource Guide has been developed to assist practitioners in mainstreaming gender within the context of integrated water resources management (IWRM). The mainstreaming of gender is critical to reach the Millennium Development Goals as well as the Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The resource guide consolidates available materials and gives a quick guide to accessing existing information. UNDP and its partners will aim to continually update the guide in order to keep abreast of new materials, information and concepts.

Leaders at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, 2002, agreed to: "Develop integrated water resources management and water efficiency plans by 2005..." Gender mainstreaming is one important component of IWRM and the gender resource guide serves as a practical tool to facilitate the mainstreaming of gender in water management.