Transcript ECOSOC 2010 Humanitarian Segment Side Event: Challenges for Gender Equality Programming in Humanitarian Action Gender Dimensions of Operating in Complex Security Environments Martin Mogwanja Humanitarian Coordinator, Pakistan United.

ECOSOC 2010 Humanitarian Segment
Side Event: Challenges for Gender Equality
Programming in Humanitarian Action
Gender Dimensions of Operating
in Complex Security
Environments
Martin Mogwanja
Humanitarian Coordinator, Pakistan
United Nations Headquarters, New York
14 July, 2010
Background –
Complex Security Environment
• In Pakistan, complex security environment challenges ability to
provide effective, predictable, timely humanitarian assistance to
affected civilians
• Scope, scale and nature of emergency contributes to level and
degree of risks
• Ongoing insecurity – but protection and assistance needs remain
constant
• Emergency situation progressively complex, not uniform in
nature (rapid and large variations in phases, scope and nature of
response).
Gender-related challenges in
Complex Security Environments
•
Gender-related challenges exist in all emergency contexts - In Pakistan,
operational and security complexities further exacerbated by sociological,
cultural and traditional constraints in accessing women and girls and
promoting their participation.
•
Challenge of promoting inclusion of the most excluded as partners in
humanitarian response (multiple exclusion: gender, ethnicity, displacement).
•
Very little investment to ensure diverse interests of women and other groups
are represented in policy/decision making fora.
•
Weak accountability mechanisms for ensuring gender equality integrated
into humanitarian action.
•
Fragile sustainability of gender equality/women’s empowerment initiatives
due to weak transition linkages between humanitarian and development
programmes.
Gender-related challenges (….cont.)
•
Area-focused response prioritized over needs based targeted
response.
•
Gender-related capacities among humanitarian staff and partners
limited.
•
Availability and use of sex disaggregated data and gender analysis
limited.
“We are conservative and are suspicious that NGOs are using our
women as a showpiece….talking of women and women’s rights. For
this reason some are perceived as purveyors of immorality. NGOs
should not focus on women.”
Business Community Focus Group, Mingora town, Swat District,
2009.
Implications for working in Complex
Security Environments
•
Limits ability to reach the most vulnerable people
•
Frequent suspension of support and assistance activities
•
Limits humanitarian field presence and contact with
beneficiaries to advocate and explain gender issues
•
Difficult to uphold principles of fairness, neutrality,
impartiality and independence when working through third
parties, contractors, Implementing Partners
•
Increased operational costs – additional physical security
protection measures
Adapting to Complex Security Environments
Typical responses
Gender Considerations
Adapting security measures,
including low profile operations
Fewer female humanitarian workers
deployed, limited access to women & girls
Managing humanitarian work
remotely, reliance on local
organizations
Male-dominated CSOs with limited gender
capacity; service delivery for women/girls
curtailed; sex disaggregated data limited,
partial picture of humanitarian situation
Changing operational modalities
and priorities (reduction in
programmes)
What programmes are prioritized? Who
decides? Who benefits? Ensure criteria
includes gender considerations
Using technology, including mass
messaging through mobile phones.
Access to technology may be limited to
men; how is info disseminated?
Developing partner capacity (building
operational skills , training local rapid
assessment teams, advocacy on
humanitarian and gender principles)
Opportunity to build capacity on gendersensitive tools? Seek opportunities for
voices/participation of women and girls?
Strategies for Change:
1.
Building capacity of partners on gender – in both humanitarian
and development
2.
Collaborate and work closely with existing service delivery
networks to reinforce a gender equality dimension
3.
Prioritize discussion on high risk implications for women and girls
4.
Require CSO partners to report sex disaggregated data
5.
Challenge standardized assistance models and promote
participatory culturally sensitive approaches (i.e. Women in Tents)
6.
Apply gender tools in coordinated humanitarian response:
Gender Marker, Cluster Gender Equality Targets, Gender Task
Force
7.
Develop and propose channels for providing risk related
information specific to women and to men