Drinking water in sufficient quantity and quality is one of the most basic human needs and it is a human right. Millennium Development Goal 7 on Environmental Sustainability aims to reduce by half the number of people who have no access to clean drinking water and basic sanitation. This document is to support SDC project staff and partners such as national programme officers and water organisations to mainstream gender equality into SDC water, hygiene and sanitation interventions. It will illustrate how to «put gender on the agenda» in terms of gender strategies and gender sensitive water policies and ensure that people are engaged and remain committed.