The initiative aims to understand pathways for social norm change and the factors that spur transformative shifts toward gender equality. It builds on Sustainable Development Goal 5 to empower women and girls by increasing their voice, choice and security, and features three main components: research, community-based programming interventions and advocacy that uses storytelling to challenge dominant narratives.

This Gender Alert maps gender trends and recommendations in connection to the evictions of internally displaced persons and the destruction of informal settlements in Badghis. It has been developed by the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group and the Women Advisory Group (WAG) to the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT) in Afghanistan

The complex and protracted humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan affects persons of all genders, at-risk and marginalized groups differently. Women and girls are disproportionately affected because of gender-specific restrictions that directly impact their ability to realize their rights. Traditional gender norms and patriarchal cultures have long reinforced discrimination against women and girls in Afghanistan, increasing their vulnerability and decreasing their capacity to recover from shocks, leaving them disproportionately affected during crises.

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.

This policy brief is an analysis of the situation as it pertains to the Philippines. It also offers a practical guide to stakeholders, particularly the government, on how to maximize the WEPs as a framework to stimulate public and private sectors actions that will accelerate the progress to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically SDGs 5 (Gender Equality) and 8 (Decent Work and Economic Growth).

A week ago, a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck the Central Region of Afghanistan impacting Paktika and Khost provinces. Humanitarian assistance is being delivered in the most affected districts.

The toolkit provides a grounding in risk control and business continuity, with particular reference to the COVID-19 pandemic response. With its step-by-step guidance, checklist, and various tools, the toolkit becomes a self-learning tool for SME leaders across the world, so that they can better address risks and build their own gender- responsive business continuity management system.

This research used a mixed methods approach with a strong focus on the qualitative to investigate the diverse perceptions and experiences among the Rohingya and host communities, addressing different dimensions of empowerment, motivations and catalysts that contributed to the perceptions, attitudes, behaviours, influencing factors, and parties that drive positive and negative change.

The Women living under the pandemic and military rule survey looks at the way that women are affected by macro developments and trends. It is important to understand the real-time social and economic impacts of COVID-19 and the military rule, not just for measures of income poverty but also for vulnerability more generally and for how the double crisis is impacting Myanmar’s women both at the family and individual levels.

This report explores the barriers women face in the Pacific to entering the energy workforce, completing energy-related education, and accessing different forms of clean energy. It looks at the potential benefits that the use of clean and sustainable energy could bring across the region, and presents new gender data and analytical insights to assess challenges and opportunities for a Pacific shift to sustainable and clean energy use.

The report provides a scenario-based assessment of the collective NDC commitments of countries in the Asia-Pacific region, as well as their individual commitments to action including net zero goals, carbon pricing commitments and removal of fossil-fuel subsidies. It also explores the steps countries in the region have been taking to build up capacity to enable more action, such as climate finance budgeting, and monitoring and reporting.

The 2021 version of the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) profile includes an analysis of the gender-related impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the February military coup in Rakhine, Kachin, Northern Shan and Kayin States in Myanmar. In 2020 and 2021, the COVID-19 pandemic further complicated the lives of people in humanitarian settings across the country, resulting in significant economic and health impacts.

In the Philippines, UN Women implemented the Government of Japan-funded “Women and Girls at the Center of COVID-19 Prevention” programme which aimed to increase women’s capacities, resources and skills to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in communities at risk, allow women’s groups and networks to influence and contribute to gender-responsive policies on COVID-19, and leverage national and regional platforms to advance research and tools to inform inclusive and gender-responsive national and regional measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 for socio-economic responses.

UN Women 'WEPs Activator' 2.0 Capacity-building Programme

In 2020, Bangladesh faced a double disaster Cyclone and COVID-19 in Khulna and Satkhira districts amongst the hardest hit. Thousands of families lost their livelihoods and incomes overnight. While the government provided direct assistance to those affected, many women and girls fell through the cracks. At the onset of the pandemic, UN Women expanded the group of NGOs that it worked with and created the Gender Monitoring Network (GMN), a network of 28 civil society organizations (CSOs) and women’s rights organizations. Organizations from the GMN supported UN Women in identifying vulnerable groups of women and girls, including transgender and sex workers, for unconditional cash assistance.

On the afternoon of March 22, 2021, a massive fire broke out in the Rohingya refugee camps in Ukhiya, Cox’s Bazar. The fire quickly spread across three camps consuming shelters and personal belongings of refugees as well as essential facilities such as hospitals, primary health facilities, learning centers, and women friendly spaces in the camps.

This is the second edition of UN Women Indonesia’s newsletter, capturing a series of initiatives during Q4 2020 - Q1 2021 and in support of International Women’s Day.

The publication brings into focus the paucity of gender data and calls for greater investment and prioritization of data for tracking progress towards gender equality and achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in ASEAN in line with the ASEAN Complementarities Initiative between the ASEAN Community Vision 2025 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Case studies in this report provide entry points and lessons learned on how to adapt programming and integrate women and girls in the COVID-19 response and recovery efforts.

The year 2020 marks the 25th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, and this report takes stock of the progress that has been made since by member States to realize women’s and girls’ rights. It reflects a synthesis of member State actions to implement the Beijing Platform for Action and identifies areas where significant progress has been made on gender equality and women’s empowerment.