The GESI Mainstreaming in COVID-19 Response, 2021 edition published by UN Women highlights lessons learned and good practices through stories of change focusing on the themes.

The regional dialogue and subsequent brief have been made possible by funding from the Ministry of Gender Equality and Family (MOGEF) of the Government of the Republic of Korea through the project “Gender-Responsive COVID-19 Recovery in India.” 

This document is a snapshot of the extent to which, and in what ways, women and women’s rights organisations (WROs) have led and participated meaningfully in the COVID-19 response and recovery in the state of Tamil Nadu in India. This research was conducted through consultation with key actors utilizing the Framework for Measuring Women’s Leadership and Meaningful Participation in COVID-19 Responses.

he Practitioner guide analyses, Nepal’s COVID-19 Preparedness and Response Plan, and serves two objectives. As part of the research component, it attempts to review and analyse the trends in gender equality and empowerment of women and girls financing priorities in the protection and health cluster response plans. The second component aims to guide cluster-based humanitarian response teams on strategies to better understand the gendered nature of disasters, their impact, and the emerging gender equality and social inclusion issues that require special attention and dedicated budgets. 

This practical guidance document was developed for stakeholders wishing to conduct an assessment of gender equality and climate change, to meet the critical need for data on the gender-environment nexus and ensure that climate action contributes towards achieving gender equality.

The impacts of climate change, environmental degradation and disasters are unequally felt across Asia and the Pacific region. Women and marginalized groups have less access to information, resources, finance and technologies, leaving them with greater challenges in coping and rebuilding after a crisis.

The photo story book “From Where I stand” is a tribute to the gender equality champions who made exemplary efforts in reducing risks and shaping a sustainable future. It is an initiative under the National Resilience Programme (NRP) with the Government of Bangladesh to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in national disaster risk reduction policies and practices. The programme is supported by the Government of Sweden and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).

The semi-annual UN Women Bangladesh Newsletter: Volume 1, 2022 reflects on the key highlights and major updates of UN Women Bangladesh’s interventions to advance gender equality and women empowerment in the country.

A study looking at Promoting the Recruitment and Retention of Women Humani­tarian Workers in Afghanistan. The study aims to identify specific barriers faced by Afghan women in their work for humanitarian aid agencies. It also aims to share best practices and recommendations for reversing these barriers, and for enabling more women to participate in humanitarian action. This will be vital for ensuring access by women, chil­dren, and marginalized groups to life-saving assistance.

The impacts of multiple, overlapping crises arising from climate change, pandemics and conflict disproportionately affect women, exacerbate existing inequalities and deepen power imbalances. In contexts where disasters and conflict risks intersect, responses need to recognize that women perform various roles in disaster and conflict prevention, have access to different information and services, and are impacted differently — yet they are overwhelmingly excluded from decision-making processes and mechanisms.

The regional flagship report, State of Gender Equality and Climate Change in ASEAN, analyzes the gendered impacts of climate change in the Southeast Asia and suggests ways to enhance and mainstream gender equality into climate-relevant sectoral policies and actions.

The RGA includes the key impacts and emerging issues of access to shelter, safety, security and protection food and income, reproductive health services and WASH facilities keeping women and most marginalized community in consideration. The report also puts forward some immediate and long-term key recommendations.

The National Resilience Programme aimed to sustain the resilience of human and economic development in Bangladesh through inclusive, gender-responsive disaster management and risk-informed development. The endline survey report gives an overview of what has worked well and what are the areas that can be improved in future.

On 22 June, at 01:30am, an earthquake of magnitude 5.9 has struck the southeastern provinces of Paktika and Khost (Central Region of Afghanistan), killing at least 770 people and injuring another 1,500. 1,500 homes have reportedly been destroyed and damaged in Gayan2 (Paktika Province). According to OCHA and humanitarian teams delivering the response in the two provinces, immediate needs identified on the ground on 22 June include emergency trauma care, emergency shelter and non-food items, food assistance and WASH.

This book is a compendium consolidating 8 good practices from ASEAN member states, organized along the four Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030 priorities of understanding disaster risk, strengthening risk governance, investing in DRR for resilience, and enhancing disaster preparedness for building back better.

The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) has, in recent years, substantively advanced efforts to address emerging protection, gender and inclusion (PGI) issues in disaster management. In line with the vision of One ASEAN One Response, in October 2021 the ASEAN Committee on Disaster Management (ACDM) launched the ASEAN Regional Framework on Protection, Gender, and Inclusion in Disaster Management 2021-2025 (ARF-PGI). This serves as the main PGI strategy to all ACDM working groups for the implementation of the ASEAN Agreement on Disaster Management and Emergency Response (AADMER) Work Programme 2021-2025. The present Guidelines for Operationalising the ARF-PGI serve as a prioritisation and planning toolkit to support regional bodies working in a cross-sectoral manner on PGI issues in disaster management, and national disaster-management actors, in concrete operationalisation of the AADMER Work Programme 2021-2025.

To better understand the differential conditions, risks, and impacts in disaster situations in Southeast Asia, this research on the Gender and Age Inequality of Disaster Risk in Southeast Asia was conducted in 2021, building upon methodology developed through the global study developed in this area by UN Women, UNICEF, and Practical Action. The research aimed to consolidate and analyze information on the gendered and generational nature of disaster risks in preparing for, withstanding, and recovering from disasters in the region during this last decade, and presents key findings and recommendations to advance gender-responsive DRR in the region.

This document includes two stand-alone self-assessment tools that organizations or stakeholders can use to carry out a more targeted progress assessment, including 1) Stand-alone self-assessment tool to assess internal organizational progress in supporting women’s leadership in disaster and climate resilience; and 2) Stand-alone self-assessment tool to assess support for the leadership of women’s organizations in disaster and climate resilience.

The document was produced by Humanitarian Advisory Group, in close consultation with UN Women colleagues in Regional Office for Asia and Pacific, Headquarters, as well as Bangladesh Country Office

In this edition: [*] Eliminating Gender-Based Violence in Cox’s Bazar was discussed during the 16 Days of Activism campaign [*] Acting against gender-based violence in Cox’s Bazar [*] Orange handprints to raise awareness against gender-based violence in Multi-Purpose Women’s Centres [*] Women and girls in Cox’s Bazar say "No to violence against women" and more...