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Key Action for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women and Girls (GEEWG) in Humanitarian Action in line with Inter-Agency Standing Committee Gender Policy and Accountability Framework (2017)

The following actions were developed based on the IASC Policy on Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment in Humanitarian Action and its Accountability Framework. The goal is to mobilize interagency and inter-sector support within the Rohingya refugee response to make gender equality core to its humanitarian action.

1. Collect, analyse and use disaggregated data and analysis on gender, age and diversity and equally consult with women, girls and marginalized groups, including during assessments and in the overall response monitoring. Use both gender mainstreaming and targeted action for GEEWG in preparedness, response, and recovery. These should be rights-based and gender transformative, meet the specific needs and priorities of women, girls, and men and boys of all diversities1 .

2. Support women’s economic empowerment through livelihoods and skills development interventions (including cash-based programmes) which are accessible and minimize risk to women and girls. Adopt strategies that recognize, reduce and redistribute the unpaid care and household responsibilities assigned to women and girls.

3. Ensure the leadership and meaningful equal representation of women and marginalized groups in the overall response.

4. Prevent, mitigate and respond to gender based violence and sexual exploitation and abuse, through systematic gender mainstreaming that addresses harmful societal and institutional gender norms/practices. For this end, work with men and boysin achieving the goal of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in humanitarian action, and in promoting positive masculinities.

5. Collaborate and engage with the Ministry of Women and Children Affairs, as well as local and national women’s rights organizations and those working with persons with diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity and Expression and Sexual Characteristics (SOGIESC), and other marginalized groups. Invest in their capacities to prevent, prepare for and respond to crises and disasters of all types, resource them financially, and protect the spaces in which they can operate, in support of localization. Ensure gender balance and adequate numbers of trained international and national female staff in the overall response and ensure they are provided with necessary safety and security measures.

6. Make financial provisionsto fully resource GEEWG programming for both mainstreaming and targeted action, creating specific budget lines for the purpose.