The invisible issues in flood response

Date: Monday, November 18, 2019

“When the husband doesn’t get the meal coming back home, he’ll hurl abusive words, that’s only normal. So during the flood, when the family went without food, it was common. Sometimes it was too much. I wanted to retort but couldn’t, fearing his beating. Since I couldn’t run away to escape his beating, with water all around. If I did snap at him sometimes, he would beat me and not give money for food for days.” Selima Begum from Nimkusharpar village at Pachgachi Union of Kurigram Sadar was narrating the plight women endured during the last monsoon flood that brought untold sufferings to women in her village.

Take five: “Addressing gender and protection issues in humanitarian action is lifesaving and planning and budgeting needs to reflect that”

Date: Wednesday, August 14, 2019

Nimarta Khuman, a Gender and Protection Advisor, explains what it means to incorporate gender and protection in humanitarian action and why it’s important.

People admire creativity of Rohingya refugee women at Dhaka art fair

Date: Monday, July 22, 2019

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group, which UN Women co-chairs, organized the Rohingya Women’s Art Exhibition and Handicrafts Fair in Dhaka on 20 June to celebrate World Refugee Day. The hundreds of visitors admired items the women made, including clothing, patterns, wall hangings, art work, photos and decorations. Some gathered information on how to buy them.

In Bangladesh, a lawyer-activist helps Rohingya survivors of violence

Date: Monday, July 22, 2019

Lawyer and human rights activist Razia Sultana has strived to ease the plight of the Rohingya, advocating for their cause in international forums and helping them cope with trauma in refugee camps in Bangladesh. “We do not live a normal life,” she said in an interview with UN Women late last year. “The camps in Cox’s Bazar are crowded and we cannot leave freely. We are stateless persons. We are not even Bangladeshis. We have no address -- This life is not for anyone.”

Thai designer raises funds to help refugee women and girls

Date: Wednesday, July 10, 2019

Leading Thai designer and entertainer Vatanika Patamasingh hosted a gala event to raise funds for the life-changing work of UN Women supporting women and girls living in refugee camps in Cox’s Bazaar, Bangladesh. Actors, journalists and CEOs of Thai and Chinese businesses were among the about 60 people who attended the 26 June gala dinner in Bangkok that Vatanika hosted to celebrate the responses to her donation drive and to raise awareness about UN Women’s work in Cox’s Bazar.

Humanitarian workers in Myanmar race to strengthen their skills on gender equality

Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2019

Although humanitarian staff may be used to activity in the field, they may not have expected to be running at a training workshop. But a Gender Relay Race was one of several interactive exercises at the Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Training-of-Trainers (ToT) Workshop held in Yangon from 23 to 26 April 2019. Organized by UN Women, in collaboration with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), the goal of the ToT was to meet the demand for dedicated training in this area and create a pool of GiHA trainers and human resources in Myanmar.

Press release: Emergency Preparedness, Response and Recovery Project for Palau

Date: Monday, September 17, 2018

As we celebrate the 25th year anniversary of the Mechesil Belau (Women of Palau) Conference with the Republic of Palau, UN Women and the Women’s Peace & Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) is also proud to mark the launch of an emergency preparedness, response and recovery project in the country aimed at empowering women.

Women at the helm of cyclone recovery efforts in Tonga

Date: Monday, August 27, 2018

“When the cyclone finally arrived, we were all huddled in the house. The cyclone strength was getting stronger and stronger, and the damages started in the kitchen.” “The next morning, we saw the complete devastation in front of us. The roof was completely destroyed. All the doors and windows were completely damaged. The walls had collapsed because of the fallen roof. We all stood in shock, crying and holding on to each other,” recalls Sesalina Vaiangina...

Asian ministerial conference pledges greater efforts to empower women in reducing disaster risk

Date: Wednesday, August 1, 2018

More than 50 countries have pledged to give more women leading roles in efforts to reduce the high risks they face from natural disasters in Asia. The 2018 Asian Ministerial Conference for Disaster Risk Reduction , held in Mongolia’s capital on 3-6 July, made this and other key commitments by adopting the Ulaanbaatar Declaration and the Action Plan 2018-2020 of the Asia Regional Plan for Implementation of the Sendai Framework...

Take Five: “If you are invisible in everyday life, your needs will not be thought of, let alone addressed, in a crisis situation”

Date: Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Matcha Phorn-in is the Executive Director of Sangsan Anakot Yaowachon , a civil society organization working with young people from marginalized communities, many of whom are indigenous, in disaster-prone Thai villages at the border with Myanmar. Phorn-in is from an ethnic minority and identifies as a lesbian feminist human-rights defender. Her organization supports women to become leaders and raise their communities...