Ambitious plans to reform the humanitarian sector are still failing to reach grassroots women’s rights organisations or be felt by women affected by crises. As donors, UN agencies and NGOs review progress on the Grand Bargain, this paper outlines recommendations to promote women’s leadership and participation across the humanitarian reform agenda.

The paper focuses on the three Grand Bargain workstreams: localisation, participation and cash. Key recommendations include:

June 14, 2018 - International aid groups working in Yemen today expressed outrage at the loss of human life that has resulted from a military assault on Hodeidah city and its port and accused the attackers of a total disregard for human suffering. The consequences of this attack will be nothing but catastrophic for the people of Hodeidah, as well as for the rest of the population across the country who rely on Hodeidah’s port for food, fuel and commercial goods, including life-saving supplies of medicines. Two-thirds of Yemen’s population are directly served by the port.

13 June 2018 – As the offensive on the key Yemeni port of Hodeidah has begun, CARE International in Yemen warns that this will have a catastrophic impact on the civilian population. “We have had more than 30 airstrikes within 30 minutes this morning around the city. Some civilians are entrapped, others forced from their homes. We thought it could not get any worse, but unfortunately we were wrong,” says Jolien Veldwijk, CARE’s acting Country Director in Yemen. “This attack risks more people dying, but it also risks cutting the lifeline of millions of Yemenis.

The UN has announced today that nearly a million people have been displaced in Syria during the first four months of 2018, the highest level in the seven-year conflict. CARE, which has been delivering aid inside Syria since 2013, has reacted to this announcement with the following statement:

Wouter Schaap, CARE’s Syria country director, said:

“This new figure is shocking, and shows that the war in Syria is far from being over. People are still fleeing bombings and shelling in bigger numbers than ever, and seeking protection and assistance far from home.

11 June 2018 - INGOs in Yemen today warned that any further escalation of violence around the port city Hodeidah could have catastrophic consequences. Humanitarian organizations fear an imminent attack on the city given developments on the ground over recent weeks.