Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG)

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG) is a subsidiary of the UN Country Team’s (UNCT) Gender Theme Group. The GiHA WG offers interagency and intersectoral technical capacity to the Humanitarian Coordinator, the Humanitarian Country Team and all other stakeholders involved in the humanitarian response, including government authorities, to ensure the integration of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls. The overarching objective of the GiHA WG is to ensure the coordinated humanitarian response in Ukraine robustly integrates gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, adhering to the guidelines established by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) 2017 Gender Policy.

The GiHA WG aims to

• Enhance decision-making and communication on gender equality within humanitarian clusters and stakeholders

• Provide technical and policy support on gender equality and empowerment of women and girls

• Strengthen capacities for gender analysis, gender transformative programming, and gender-responsive strategies

• Advocate for inclusive, meaningful participation and leadership of women’s and LGBTIQA+ individuals

For additional details about the GiHA WG, kindly refer to the group's Terms of Reference.

To access GiHA WG 2025 Work Plan, kindly refer to the following link: GiHA WG 2025 Work Plan

If your organization wants to be a member of the GiHA WG, please register here or send an email to fatih.kilinc@unwomen.org 

The Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG) has introduced a revised definition of Women’s Rights Organizations (WROs) in consultation with WROs specifically tailored to the unique context of the Ukrainian humanitarian response. In Ukraine, while many women-led organizations (WLOs) are engaged in humanitarian activities, they do not always prioritize or represent the specific needs of crisis-affected women and girls, nor do they consistently focus on advancing gender equality. The definitions of WROs developed by the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), Grand Bargain, and the UN Partner Portals, while valuable, do not fully address these nuanced dynamics. Therefore, the GiHA WG’s revised definition distinguishes between organizations that are women-led and those that are actively committed to promoting women's rights and gender equality.

The definition proposed by GiHA WG is crucial for accurately channeling and tracking funding, ensuring that resources support organizations dedicated to transforming gender inequalities and empowering women and girls. It also enhances the ability to monitor the impact of funding, ensuring alignment with the Grand Bargain’s emphasis on transparency and accountability.

Based on the above rationale, GiHA WG defines WROs as the following:

A Women’s Rights Organization (WRO) is:

1) An organization that self-identifies as a woman’s rights organization with the primary focus of advancing gender equality, women’s empowerment and human rights; or 

2) An organization that has, as part of its mission statement, the advancement of women’s and girls’ interests and rights (or where ‘women’, ‘girls’, ‘gender’ or local language equivalents are prominent in their mission statement); or 

3) An organization that has, as part of its mission statement or objectives, to challenge and transform gender inequalities (unjust rules), unequal power relations and promoting positive social norms.

Жіноча правозахисна організація - це:

1) Організація, яка ідентифікує себе як жіноча правозахисна організація та має за основну мету просування гендерної рівності, розширення прав і можливостей жінок та прав людини; або

2) Організація, у місії якої зафіксоване просування інтересів і прав жінок та дівчат (або «жінки», «дівчата», «гендер» та інші дотичні терміни згадуються в місії); або

3) Організація, у місії або цілях якої зафіксоване завдання зменшувати та трансформувати гендерну нерівність, нерівні владні відносини та просувати позитивні соціальні норми.

• Updated 2024 Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action
• IASC GBV Guidelines (Ukrainian version)
• IASC 2017 Gender Policy and Accountability Framework
• CARE Rapid Gender Analysis Toolkit
• IASC Gender with Age Marker
• IASC e-learning on Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action
• UN Women Rapid Assessment Tool
• How to promote gender equality in humanitarian cash and voucher assistance
• How to promote gender responsive localization in humanitarian action
• How to promote gender equality through impartial and joint needs assessments
• Diverse SOGIESC Rapid Assessment Tool to assess diverse SOGIESC inclusion results in humanitarian contexts