Attachments
Introduction and Purpose
This scoping study was commissioned by ICVA in response to requests from members to improve its inclusion of gender considerations and explore how to operationalise its Diversity Policy, approved in 2019. The purpose of this Policy is to reinforce ICVA’s longstanding commitment to diversity, with a specific focus on:
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Consideration of Gender: focusing on girls, women, boys and men; Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA); and protection against violence due to sexual orientation and gender identity;
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Consideration of age: the rights of the child and considerations for the elderly;
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Disability and the rights of persons with disabilities.
Following the approval of the Diversity Policy, ICVA Secretariat’s team increased its efforts to better support members in inclusion of age and disabilities considerations, with activities such as: coorganising the Annual UNICEF-NGO humanitarian partnership consultations; participating in the Reference Group on inclusion of persons with disabilities in humanitarian action; contributing to the development of various policy and technical guidance on child rights and rights of persons with disabilities; as well as organising various webinars to share the information and discuss these documents and their implementation with members and other relevant actors.
On gender considerations, however, the ICVA’s Secretariat team’s work has so far remained limited to PSEA and participation and contribution to the GenCap.While a lot has been achieved on both subjects and the Secretariat will continue to invest in them, discussions among members and the Secretariat team have concluded not only in identification of the need for better inclusion of gender considerations, but also in a request by members for the Secretariat to do more in this regard.
This report presents the results of research undertaken by Plan International on behalf of the ICVA Secretariat in 2021. The findings seek to answer two central questions: 1) to what extent and how do ICVA members’ work on gender equality in emergencies? 2) How can ICVA improve in order to support members’ work on gender equality in emergencies?