critical elements in providing safe drinking water supply and sanitation to rural and peri-urban areas on a sustainable basis. 23. In recognition of the important role that women play in water supply and sanitation, a Task Force on Women and the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade was established in 1982 by the organizations of the United Nations system through the Steering Committee for Co-operative Action for the International Drinking Water Supply and Sanitation Decade. The work of the Task Force, chaired by UNDP'a Programme for the Promotion of the Role of Women in Water and Environmental Sanitation Services (PROWWRSS) and supported by the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women (INSTRAW), resuLted in a changed orientation towards women’s involvement from a one component approach to an overall approach permeating all project components. This included the development of a planning and evaluation framework (PEGESUS) built on existing evaluation procedures and focusing on increased sustainability and reliability, 24. With regard to efforts for promoting women’s involvement at the country level, where approaches can be modified to take into account the different social, cultural, and religious settings, 42 countries are implementing programmes specifically designed to enhance the involvement of women in the development of water supply and sanitation programmes. Of these, 22 are in Africa, 11 in Asia and 9 in the Americas. The experience gained at project level is now beginning to have an effect at the level of national policy. 25. There are some notable successes in the use of community development principles and in promoting the participation of women. In Malawi, the combined use of protected surface catchments and shallow wells was achieved through the mobilization of the community for the construction, means of locally organised committees.operation and maintenance by la Kenya, the Kenya Water for Health
**Analysis**
The text discusses the importance of involving women in providing safe drinking water supply and sanitation in rural and peri-urban areas, and highlights the successes in using community development principles and promoting women's participation. The focus is on sustainable development and community-based initiatives, which suggests that the category should be related to development and sustainability.

**Category**
Natural resources and environment, Health