Policy: Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action - IASC Reference Group on Gender and Humanitarian Action (January 2024) [EN/AR]

Updated IASC Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action

This IASC product replaces the Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action, which was endorsed in 2017 by the then-IASC Principals to make gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls a core principle of its humanitarian action. The initial document foresaw that the contents of the policy would be reviewed every 5 years.

The updated policy was developed by UN Women on behalf of the Gender Reference Group, with the support and direction of a Steering Group made up by ActionAid, CARE International, the Feminist Humanitarian Network, IOM, the IASC Secretariat, OCHA and UNFPA. The document builds on the achievements and learnings from the implementation of the 2017 IASC Gender Policy and the findings and recommendations of four iterations of the GAF report. It also incorporates the findings and recommendations of the Inter-Agency Humanitarian Evaluation (IAHE) on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Settings and its associated Management Response. It aims to renew and refine the IASC’s standards, commitments and designated roles and responsibilities vis-à-vis the integration of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls into the planning and implementation of humanitarian response in crisis contexts under the IASC’s jurisdiction.

Endorsed by the Principals in January 2024, the updated IASC Gender Policy largely maintains the goal and foundations of the 2017 Policy. However, its principles have been updated to reflect the latest developments in policy and thinking on gender equality with an emphasis on the advancement of the rights of women and girls, who continue to be disproportionately affected and severely disadvantaged in humanitarian crisis settings. Moreover, standards have been reviewed and replaced by key priority areas to advance the realization of the Policy's goal.

This Policy harnesses progressive thinking across the humanitarian, development and peace nexus, to be transformative, inclusive and uncompromising towards achieving the goals of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in the planning, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of coordinated humanitarian response. Implementation of this Policy will lead to humanitarian action which is more just, coherent, safe, accessible, effective and accountable, thus saving more lives and laying the foundation for peace and sustainable development. It is a framework that specifies the principles and priorities that the IASC Bodies, their field representation, Members and Standing Invitees should abide by at global and field level to integrate gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls into all preparedness and response activities. IASC Members and Standing Invitees, and the humanitarian community are urged to implement the Policy alongside existing policies of their own, to ensure system-wide inter-agency and collaborative efforts on gender. Forthcoming IASC-endorsed products such as guidelines, policies, tools and documents should also align with this Policy.

(ENDORSED) IASC Policy on Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women and Girls in Humanitarian Action.pdf