Participants share in plenary ways to implement women’s leadership and decision making.

UN WOMEN, the United Nations High Commissioner For Refugees, and Asian Disaster Preparedness Center (ADPC) collaborated to organize a workshop on Gender in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction from 15–18 May 2017.

The objective of the training was to increase participants’ knowledge of effectively integrating gender considerations into disaster risk reduction programs and projects.

During the workshop, 35 attendees from non-government organizations (NGOs), international NGOs, the UN, and government agencies in Bangladesh discussed strategies to implement effective gender mainstreaming principles into current humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction programs. Participants also discussed the core concepts of gender and the disaster context in Bangladesh and Cox’s Bazar.

Many participants noted that the subject matter was new to them, but incredibly important for effective DRR.

Participants line up to play a relay game which emphasizes core gender concepts as a basis to learning practical tools in gender mainstreaming. Photo credit: Maria Sophie Pettersson / UN Women

Workshops like these are crucial considering women, girls, boys, and men experience disasters differently. Women and girls are often the most vulnerable during crises because of the pre-existing gender inequalities that exacerbate their ability to survive before, during, and after disasters.

The Gender in Humanitarian Action and Disaster Risk Reduction workshop and similar activities are an important step to help build the capacity of local organizations to ensure that that no one is left behind before, during, and after disasters.

Knowledge resources for integrating gender into humanitarian action

ADPC, UN Women, and UN OCHA, on behalf of the IASC Regional Network Working Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action in Asia-Pacific, regularly showcases best practices related to integrating gender into humanitarian action in the Asia-Pacific region:

Integrating Gender into Humanitarian Action: Good Practices from Asia 1

Integrating Gender into Humanitarian Action: Good Practices from Asia-Pacific 2

Integrating Gender into Humanitarian Action: Good Practices from Asia-Pacific 3

Integrating Gender into Humanitarian Action: Good Practices from Asia-Pacific 4