Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG)

About Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group

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.

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

Definition of Women's Rights Organizations (WROs)

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.

Rapid Gender Analysis

ReliefWeb results

Ukraine

Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine August 2024 [EN/UK]

English version

Executive Summary This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) applies a gender lens to better understand specific needs, priorities, and barriers to services and life-saving assistance available to war-affected people in Ukraine. Since the full-scale invasion in February 2022,…

Format:
Analysis
Source:
CARE
Posted:
26 Aug 2024
Files:
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Ukraine

Rapid Gender Analysis Brief: Ukraine (October 2023)

OVERVIEW The full-scale invasion of Ukraine and ensuing humanitarian crisis continues to inflict widespread devastation and hardship upon its population, leaving an estimated 17.6 million people in need of multisectoral humanitarian assistance within the country. This includes…

Format:
Analysis
Source:
CARE
Posted:
24 Jan 2024
Files:
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Ukraine

Rapid Gender Analysis Ukraine October 2023 [EN/UK]

English version

This Rapid Gender Analysis (RGA) has been carried out to shed light on the gender dynamics, needs, experiences and challenges of women, men, adolescent girls and boys and people with diverse gender identities, from different groups…

Format:
Analysis
Source:
CARE
Posted:
27 Oct 2023
Files:
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Ukraine

Rapid Gender Analysis of Ukraine (4 May 2022)

Ukraine: New UN Women and CARE report highlights disproportionate impact of the war on women and minorities After more than two months of war in Ukraine, which has forced millions of refugees and displaced people to flee…

Format:
Analysis
Source:
CARE, UN Women
Posted:
4 May 2022
Files:
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News and Press Release

ReliefWeb results

Ukraine

Men in detention face sexual torture amid war in Ukraine

KYIV, Ukraine – In the early hours of the morning, at a location in Ukraine not far from the front line of the war, Antonina* found herself staring at a disturbing message on her phone. It…

Format:
News and Press Release
Source:
UNFPA
Posted:
26 Nov 2024
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Assessments and Analysis

ReliefWeb results

Ukraine

Gender-Based Violence in Ukraine Amid War: An Assessment Report - Report on the results of sociological research (February - April 2024) [EN/UK]

English version

Understanding Response Effectiveness, Support Gaps, and Recommendations for Comprehensive Solutions 1. Executive Summary Ukraine is going through one of the most difficult periods in its history due to the war with Russia that has been going on since…

Format:
Assessment
Source:
NGO Girls, World Vision
Posted:
6 Sep 2024
Files:
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Manuals and Guidelines

ReliefWeb results

Ukraine

Accessible Funding for Women’s Rights Organizations in Ukraine

INTRODUCTION The Gender in Humanitarian Action Funding Taskforce1 was created in 2024 to pool evidence and expertise generated by members and to identify tangible action points towards improved funding and capacity support for women-led organizations (WLOs) and…

Format:
Manual and Guideline
Source:
UNCT Ukraine, UN Women
Posted:
25 Nov 2024
Files:
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Ethiopia

Ethiopia PSEA Strategy 2024-2026

This strategy is guided by the work already achieved by the PSEA Network in Ethiopia since its inception in 2018, and the current volatile humanitarian situation. It is designed to prioritise the key actions on preventing…

Format:
Manual and Guideline
Source:
IASC PSEA Ethiopia, UN RC/HC Ethiopia, UN Women, UNFPA
Posted:
9 Sep 2024
Files:
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Ethiopia

Ethiopia PSEA Network - Terms of Reference 2024

Background In 2016, the Ethiopian Humanitarian Country Team (EHCT) requested the Protection Cluster to develop a national strategy to support inter-agency efforts to prevent and to respond to sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) in humanitarian contexts. The…

Format:
Manual and Guideline
Source:
IASC PSEA Ethiopia, UN RC/HC Ethiopia, UN Women, UNFPA
Posted:
9 Sep 2024
Files:
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Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group Calendar

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