In 2010 we will:
Promote economic opportunities
- Conduct a series of workshops for humanitarian workers in five countries to help humanitarian workers create effective market-based livelihood programs that reduce women's vulnerability to sexual violence-an all-too-common byproduct of women's involvement in the workforce. We will advocate with policy makers to adopt our recommendations and will urge donors to fund market-based livelihood programs that better protect displaced women and young people.
Improve life for displaced people with disabilities
- Promote the development and adoption of a new policy on refugees with disabilities by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees that will be a key mechanism for ensuring that refugees with disabilities are identified and have access to humanitarian assistance and services.
- Work with dozens of field-based agencies in three countries to implement our 2008 disabilities resource toolkit. Then we will advocate for global adoption of measures that will improve the lives of refugees with disabilities.
Promote education and jobs for refugee youth
- Test promising practices in pilot projects to determine models for meeting the educational needs of young people, which can be replicated and taken to scale in displaced settings everywhere.
- Develop and promote a resource "toolbox" for humanitarian workers, policy makers and donors to address displaced young people's educational and job training needs.
Ensure safe access to cooking fuel
- Conduct several workshops in refugee settings to provide training and technical assistance to humanitarian workers.
- Encourage field-testing of promising alternative fuels and energy technologies by practitioners in the field, UN agencies, humanitarian policymakers, major funders and developers of alternative fuels.
Campaign to reduce maternal mortality
- Undertake a campaign to reduce maternal mortality among women and girls in conflict settings.
- Run a pilot project on community-based distribution of family planning services in southern Sudan and spearhead a pilot project on community-based care for survivors of sexual assault in Myanmar (Burma).
Protect women and children in immigration detention
- Push for the development of alternatives to detention and due process rights for families and women seeking asylum in the U.S. by participating in advisory and working groups with the Department of Homeland Security as it reforms the immigration detention system.
- Seek to end the inhumane detention practices that result in the separation of families during immigration proceedings by working with the Administration and advocating for legislation that provides protection and due process rights of children and their parents.
Women's Refugee Commission | 122 East
42nd Street | New York, NY 10168-1289
212.551.3115 | info@wrcommission.org | womensrefugeecommission.org