Turning commitments into action: Strengthening humanitarian funding for women and girls

Development Initiatives (DI) and the International Rescue Committee (IRC) are pleased to invite you to an event on financing for gender equality in humanitarian response.

Bringing together practitioners and policymakers, this session will unpack the latest data on gender-related humanitarian financing − including funding to gender-based violence (GBV) interventions and women-led organisations − and will create space to discuss what must be done for the humanitarian community to deliver on its commitments to women and girls.

This event will be moderated by Marcy Vigoda, Senior Humanitarian Advisor (UN OCHA) and will feature the following presentations:

• ‘Funding for gender-relevant humanitarian response’, Carina Chicet (Humanitarian Analyst), DI
• ‘Why Not Local? Gender-based violence, women’s rights organisations, and the missed opportunity of COVID-19’, Cosmas Ayella, (Deputy Director of Programs, South Sudan), IRC

Following the presentations, there will be an engaging discussion among presenters and panelists from across the gender and humanitarian sector. Panelists will include a leader from a women’s organisation and a representative from the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office speaking about the work of the Call to Action Task Team on Addressing Gaps in GBV Prioritisation and Funding.

Questions from audience members are welcomed, so please do ask your questions live using the Zoom Q&A function or submit a question before the event to: [email protected].

If you have any questions regarding this event or would like to submit a question to our panel, please send them to [email protected] and [email protected].

Background

Over the past decade the need to address the gendered consequences of humanitarian crises, in particular gender-based violence, has driven a growing body of policy commitments. In 2013, the ‘Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies’ was launched by a group of like-minded donors concerned with the high levels of GBV in crises. In 2016, the World Humanitarian Summit launched the Grand Bargain, agreeing not only to a host of gender equality commitments but also to increasing funding to national and local organisations, including women’s organisations.

In 2019, UN OCHA and partners convened the Oslo Conference, its first-ever thematic humanitarian conference on GBV. At the conference 21 donors pledged over US$363 million to GBV prevention and response, and most recently in 2021, the ‘Women, Peace & Security and Humanitarian Action Compact’ was agreed, which set a five-year course towards greater gender equality, with pledges of US$40 billion. The urgency around gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in humanitarian settings has only increased in light of the ‘shadow pandemic’ of GBV that has occurred during the Covid-19 crisis.

However, despite an increase in focus on these issues, have rhetoric and commitments translated into action? Is sufficient funding going towards preventing and responding to GBV and empowering women and girls? Is funding reaching local and national women’s organisations at the frontlines?

Join us to further the discussion.