Search
Gender equality programming is a corporate learning priority for the OCHA Learning and Knowledge Management Board. A learning resources catalogue was produced with information on gender equality training (e-courses, onsite training, communities of practice) including a focus on Gender Based Violence (GBV).
Monthly Gender Community of Practice sessions are held for OCHA Gender Focal Points and three in-person trainings have been conducted on gender equality programming in humanitarian action. In total, 60 Gender Focal Points in OCHA have participated at the trainings. CERF has also funded training of hundreds of field staff and service providers on GBV.
At the leadership level and management level, OCHA initiates discussion on gender, GBV and PSEA at Heads of Office Meetings and Annual Retreats. Humanitarian Coordinators (HCs) have an important role to ensure that gender equality programming is therefore central to humanitarian responses. 100% of the ERC-HC compacts incorporate gender, GBV and PSEA deliverables. HCs must provide field level strategic leadership and guidance to Humanitarian Country Teams and inter cluster/sector working groups to translate these important global level commitments, which are also well articulated in the Secretary-General’s Agenda for Humanity, into concrete collective results and deliverables leading to elevated protection of women and girls from GBV.
In 2017, OCHA developed its ‘People Strategy’, which was launched in January 2018. The strategy encompasses specific long-term strategies and approaches to support the achievement of gender parity, such as leadership development and talent pools.
In line with the Secretary-General’s Bulletin “special measures for protection from sexual exploitation and sexual abuse” (ST/SGB/2003/13), OCHA has established clear structures and procedures for ensuring compliance with the zero-tolerance policy. Standard operating procedures are in place for submission and receipt of complaints, reporting, investigation and survivor assistance. PSEA focal points have been established in OCHA offices at headquarters, regional and country levels, and all staff members receive training and information on preventing and responding to acts of sexual exploitation and abuse.
Gender analysis is at the core of OCHA’s central strategic planning and field-focused operational planning. The IASC Gender Marker, introduced in 2010, also guides OCHA-managed funding and financing. OCHA’s Country Offices has also played a key role in further mainstreaming gender in the Humanitarian Needs Overviews (HNOs) and Humanitarian Response Plans (HRPs). In 2017, in 25% of HRPs gender analysis fully defined how HRP implementation took into account distinct needs/risks related to gender, and in 70% of HRPs gender analysis partially informed implementation.
In 2017, out of the 397 projects funded by CERF, 280 (71%) had a Gender Marker 2a indicating strong gender mainstreaming. A total of 77 (19%) had a 2b indicating a targeted gender action and 22 projects (6%) had a Gender Marker 1, meaning limited gender consideration. Eighteen (18 or 4%) were marked “Non- Applicable” as they dealt with the provision of common services to humanitarian partners (air operations, logistics, emergency telecommunications, safety and security), and none (0) were marked 0 which means that all CERF-funded projects for 2017 considered gender to an extent or another in their design. Gender Based Violence was the focus action of 27 projects (7%) of all the 397 projects funded by CERF in 2017, 234 projects (59%) had a GBV component, and 135 projects (34%) had no GBV related activity or component one (1) project was not marked for GBV.
All OCHA managed Country Based-Pooled Funds (CPBFs) apply the Gender Marker in all project proposals. In 2017, 79% of CPBFs projects were designed to contribute significantly to gender equality (76% in 2016), equivalent to $511 million. CBPFs provide the largest source of direct funding for local NGOs, including women’s organizations
In OCHA’s core digital assets – unocha.org, reliefweb.int and HDX – particular attention was given to highlighting how humanitarian crises impact women and children. For example, on ReliefWeb 1,835 documents were posted in 2017 on Gender-Based Violence and 1,288 Women, Peace and Security documents.