UN Women launches She Leads Recovery to support women and girls affected by recent displacement, return movements and related humanitarian needs

Phnom Penh, Cambodia — When crises affect communities, women and girls often face distinct risks, additional responsibilities and greater barriers to rebuilding their lives. Their voices, leadership and safety must be at the heart of recovery efforts. 

To address these challenges, She Leads Recovery, a new initiative to support women and girls affected by recent displacement, return movements and related humanitarian needs, has been launched by UN Women Cambodia, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the International Organization of Migration (IOM), with the support of the Government of Japan.

The year-long initiative responds to the urgent needs of returning women migrant workers, internally displaced women and girls and affected communities. It aims to strengthen women’s leadership, promote their safety and economic their resilience, placing women and girls at the centre of recovery and rebuilding efforts.

“Women and girls must be at the centre of crisis response,” said Sophea Khun, National Country Programme Coordinator for UN Women in Cambodia. “That means listening to their needs, protecting their safety and dignity, and ensuring they have a meaningful voice in the decisions that shape recovery.”

Since late May 2025, nearly 900,000 Cambodian migrant workers have returned from Thailand, while many families have also experienced internal displacement. These rapid movements have disrupted livelihoods, placed pressure on local services and exposed women and girls to heightened risks.

Through She Leads Recovery, UN Women will work with partners to strengthen women’s leadership in crisis response, recovery planning and local decision-making – ensuring that women and girls are not only protected during recovery, but are also able to lead it.

“The project supports women’s leadership, representation and participation in recovery and preparedness efforts, to ensure their voices and priorities are reflected in decision-making,” said Haruka Ishii, GBV programme specialist from UN Women, speaking at the launch.

A key part of the initiative will be connecting women and girls to protection information, gender-responsive services and referral pathways, including for survivors of violence. The project will also support community-led action to prevent violence against women, trafficking and exploitation.

Women Peer Networks will play a central role in this approach. These networks will support local dialogue, share trusted information, connect women with services and opportunities, and help challenge the harmful norms that drive violence and exclusion.

“Women often turn first to other women in their communities for information, advice and support,” said Sophea Khun. “Peer networks are trusted because they are built on shared experience, local knowledge and relationships. By strengthening them, we can help ensure that women and girls are better connected to services, protection and opportunities.”

The initiative will also build women’s economic resilience by strengthening livelihood, business, financial and digital skills. Women with approved business plans will also receive start-up capital to help them rebuild income opportunities and put their plans into action.

Digital tools, including the My Journey mobile app and the GBV Safe app, will support women to access information, make reports if they are experiencing violence and connect with services.

Ueno Atsushi, Ambassador of Japan to Cambodia, said the joint initiative will provide practical support for affected people and communities, including “protecting women and children, creating employment opportunities and supporting women’s livelihoods through skills development.” He added that the Government of Japan will continue to work closely with the Royal Government of Cambodia and international organizations to support those affected by the border crisis and to address various border-related challenges.

Implemented in close coordination with the Royal Government of Cambodia and national line ministries, She Leads Recovery is part of a broader joint initiative by UN Women, UNFPA and IOM to support vulnerable migrants, internally displaced people and affected border communities.

Heng Sour, Cambodia’s Minister of Labour and Vocational Training, welcomed the support and stressed the need for continued action: “The positive results so far are not the end of the goal. We need to work harder to offer hope to those who are not yet employed or do not yet have a proper home.”

Together, the initiative reflects a shared commitment to gender equality in humanitarian response and to recovery that is safe, inclusive and sustainable.