UNDRR Launches the Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction: A Testimony to Women and Girls Stepping up as Leaders in DRR across the Arab States
December 2021 – The United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), Regional Office for Arab States (ROAS), launched the “Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction: Examples from the Arab States,” the first of its kind in the Arab States region, a compilation of best practices drawing from documented experiences of mainstreaming gender in disaster risk reduction. The experiences are collected through desk review and consultation with experts.
The publication constitutes an initial step in documenting, collecting, and sharing gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and lessons learned from across the Arab States region, and covers disaster reduction initiatives aimed at reducing the impact of disasters on women.
“Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction: Examples from the Arab States Region stands as testimony to the many women and girls who are already stepping up as leaders in disaster risk reduction efforts across the Arab States,” stated Sujit Kumar Mohanty, Chief of UNDRR ROAS. “As with other challenges faced, there is contained therein an opportunity for the women of the region to show strength and resilience – and we have no doubt that their achievement will inspire us.”
Disaster does not discriminate, but people do. Prevailing socio-economic conditions mean that the impact of a disaster can vary widely across communities, but some groups, such as women, typically suffer disproportionally due to pre-existing gender inequalities. However, the potential contributions that women can bring to the disaster risk reduction imperative around the world are often overlooked and women’s leadership in building community resilience is disregarded.
“Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction” highlights such contributions through twenty-five case studies, classified into five Themes: (1) Integrating Gender into Community-Based Disaster Risk Reduction; (2) Women on the Front Line in the Fight against COVID-19; (3) Gender Mainstreaming for Sustainable Development; (4) Preventing and Responding to Gender-Based Violence through Disaster Risk Reduction; and (5) Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction in the Agriculture and Water Sector.
UNDRR acknowledges the contributions made to this publication by participating national governments (Algeria, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Mauritania, Somalia, State of Palestine, Tunisia, UAE, and Yemen) and institutional stakeholders, including UN Women Regional Office for Arab States, the Arab Water Council, FAO Regional Office for the Near East and North Africa, IOM Regional Office for the Middle East and North Africa, UN-Habitat State of Palestine, WFP Regional Bureau for the Middle East and Northern Africa, WFP Egypt Country Office, WFP Iraq Country Office, WFP Sudan Country Office, UNFPA Arab States Regional Office, UNDP Lebanon, Oxfam International, and Oxfam Mauritania.