Promoting Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment across the Peace-Humanitarian-Development Nexus in Kachin State, Myanmar

Consultation Summary Report

The importance of gender equality and women’s empowerment and leadership as a central element of humanitarian action, and across the humanitarian-peace-development nexus, has been recognized in international normative frameworks to which the Government of Myanmar is a signatory. These include the World Humanitarian Summit Agenda for Humanity and the Grand Bargain, the Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), the Beijing Platform for Action and the UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. The National Strategic Plan for the Advancement of Women (2013-2022) of the Government of Myanmar has “Women in Emergencies”, “Women in the Economy”, “Women in Decision-Making” and “Women and Livelihoods” as four of its twelve priority areas. The Grand Bargain commits donors and aid organizations to providing 25 per cent of global humanitarian funding to local and national responders by 2020. For this commitment to be effective and gender-responsive, it must prioritise engagement, funding and capacity development support to local women’s groups and other local networks and civil society groups working with women as first responders, peace brokers and community resilience builders.

This report summarises the presentations and discussions at the consultation, and highlights recommendations from the group work sessions, the Common Charter of Demands by KSWN members and the plans for its operationalisation by key stakeholders.