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Self Report 2017

The self-report on WHS Commitments below is organized according to the 24 transformations of the Agenda for Humanity. It is based on commitments pledged at the time of report submission. Click on the 'Expand' symbol to expand each section and read the reporting inputs by transformation.

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2D
Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • UN Women commits to systematically promote multi-dimensional empowerment hubs that can decrease women's risk of gender-based violence and accelerate early recovery in the aftermath of crisis, and also foster effective, sustainable livelihoods for affected women that enable them to reach their full potential as agents of peace and sustainable development in a protracted crisis.


  • Advocacy
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • UN Women will build the capacity of its partners to integrate evidence based GBV prevention and response interventions into humanitarian appeals and recovery programmes, aiming at tripling the current funding on GBV prevention and response by 2020.
  • Capacity
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to promote and enhance respect for international humanitarian law, international human rights law, and refugee law, where applicable.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Commit to speak out and systematically condemn serious violations of international humanitarian law and serious violations and abuses of international human rights law and to take concrete steps to ensure accountability of perpetrators when these acts amount to crimes under international law.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Implement a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis contexts, including through the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence in Emergencies.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity
  • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    The elimination of violence against women has always been one of UN Women’s thematic priorities. Central to UN Women’s approach is a focus on the empowerment of women and girls as active participants and decision makers in planning and implementation of humanitarian action. In 2016, UN Women launched the flagship programme initiative Women’s Leadership, Empowerment, Access and Protection in Crisis Response (LEAP). This flagship programme was launched as data shows that there is an underinvestment in gender equality in humanitarian response, despite evidence that the economic participation of women increases the chances of successful peace and recovery efforts.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016, UN Women established 66 safe spaces and 38 multipurpose centers in 19 countries. The women’s safe centres provided GBV protection and response, livelihood activities, education and other services to over 120,000 women and girls. UN Women worked with local partners to implement programmes for almost 75,000 women and girls that included psychosocial support, legal aid, referral services, shelter, and GBV education and services. Further, UN Women fostered sustainable livelihood activities for almost 45,00 women through job placement and counselling, unconditional cash transfers, providing small business start-up materials, and cash for work programmes. Educational activities, such as language classes, computer classes and leadership training, will enable women who accessed these spaces to reach their full potential as agents of peace and sustainable development. UN Women has also partnered with over 230 local women's organisations to provide technical and financial support for the implementation of these safe spaces.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress is being measured through indicators and country office reporting. Furthermore, success stories on safe spaces and women’s empowerment through the multi-purpose centres are being collected and shared. To measure if funding has tripled by 2020, a baseline for GBV prevention and response funding has been established in 2016 at USD 6,647,816. Each year, from 2016 to 2020 progress will be assessed by monitoring the amount of funding that has gone to evidence-based GBV prevention and response.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Depending on the country context, challenges faced in implementation of the multi-dimensional empowerment hubs have varied. In Ecuador, for example, no safe spaces or centres were allowed to be built besides official government shelters. Despite this challenge, UN Women provided advice and technical assistance to shelter administrators to ensure the consideration of women and girls in the design and set-up of the shelters. Another challenge in Cameroon was men, women, children and humanitarian actors all have access to the safe spaces. Because of this, documenting the number of women and girls who have accessed the provided services has been challenging.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In 2017, UN Women intends to continue the LEAP flagship programme and aims to improve the delivery and reach of services. Through the continued implementation of cash-based initiatives, improving support to GBV prevention and response, and maintaining and establishing partnerships with local women’s organisations, UN Women will further advance the commitment to empower and protect women and girls.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Take concrete steps to improve compliance and accountability', what would it be

    Without an equal voice and opportunity to contribute to the ways and means that their communities respond to or prepare for emergencies, women and girls will continue to be marginalized and have their rights abused.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Cash ☑ Gender ☑ People-centred approach

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3D - Empower and protect women and girls ☑ 4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 5A - Invest in local capacities

3D
Empower and protect women and girls

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • As part of the Secretary General's Global Strategy on Women's, Children's, and Adolescents'€™ Health as well as its Every Woman Every Child Everywhere [EWECE] initiative to end all preventable deaths of women and adolescent girls in crisis settings, UN Women commits to support the efforts of the multi-stakeholder partners to facilitate women and girls' access to sexual and reproductive health services in humanitarian settings by raising women'€™s awareness and capacity to demand and realize their rights and by removing structural barriers such as discriminatory policies and practices.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
  • By 2017, UN Women commits to lead the development of an accountability framework to monitor progress against the global humanitarian system's implementation of policy commitments to gender equality and women's empowerment in humanitarian action.
  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind

  • In 2016, UN Women will work with its partners to operationalize the Global Acceleration Instrument (GAI) on Women, Peace and Security and Humanitarian Action to provide additional and flexible funding to advance the participation, agency, voice and meaningful engagement of local women'€™s groups in humanitarian action.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

  • In 2017, UN Women commits to facilitate the development of a policy on gender equality and women's empowerment in humanitarian action for the global humanitarian coordination mechanism, which includes prescribed roles and responsibilities for its constituent structures and field-based mechanisms.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind
  • In partnership with the UN System and other key partners, UN Women commits to launch a portfolio of regional/country initiatives to enhance the resilience of women and girls to political, socio-economic and climate shocks by the end of 2016.
  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind
  • UN Women commits to ensure that at least 35% of its humanitarian funding builds the sustainable capacity of women first responders, local women's civil society organizations and national women's machinery partners to participate and contribute in the implementation of all facets of humanitarian action by 2017.
  • Financial
  • Leave No One Behind

  • UN Women will support policy, programme and operational efforts of humanitarian stakeholders to integrate evidence based gender equality and women'€™s empowerment interventions into humanitarian appeals and recovery programmes, aiming at 15 percent funding over the total appeals by 2020, akin to SC Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security.


  • Operational
  • Leave No One Behind

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Empower Women and Girls as change agents and leaders, including by increasing support for local women's groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the Outcome documents of their review conferences for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Ensure that humanitarian programming is gender responsive.
  • Leave No One Behind
  • Fully comply with humanitarian policies, frameworks and legally binding documents related to gender equality, women's empowerment, and women's rights.
  • Uphold the Norms that Safeguard Humanity Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    UN Women is committed to ensuring equality between women and men as partners and beneficiaries of humanitarian action. Through our coordination role, we assist in the integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment in their humanitarian efforts, including through sharing evidence-based best practices, minimum standards and guidance tools. We promote the voices, agency and capacity of women’s civil society organizations and national women’s machineries in humanitarian efforts. We also implement gender equality humanitarian programming with a specific emphasis on enhancing the self-reliance and resilience of crisis affected women.

  • Achievements at a glance

    For Every Woman Every Child Everywhere (EWECE), UN Women brought technical assistance, community engagement, health-seeking behavior and women’s empowerment to tackle the root causes of poor RMNCAH outcomes. For the Gender Policy Development and Accountability Framework, UN Women is updating the IASC 2008 Gender Policy and is developing an accountability framework to monitor delivery of the new policy’s commitments. In addition, the Global Acceleration Instrument was launched in 2016 with USD 3 million committed. On resilience, UN Women has been developing its Flagship Programme Initiatives on response, recovery, resilience and DRR; “Addressing the Gender Inequality of Risk" as a joint initiative by UN Women, IFRC and UNISDR. For building capacity of women’s civil society, UN Women spent 28% of its humanitarian funding supporting women’s civil society and national women’s machineries. In 2016, 1.7% of all official funded appeal programmes were gender marker coded as targeted gender programming. 18.76% as mainstreaming gender.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    UN Women is monitoring all 12 of its internal commitments to the WHS outcomes on an ongoing basis and creates its own internal WHS commitment update report.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    As with most agencies, funding remains a challenge for UN Women which has an impact on its ability to deliver on its commitments at the global and country level.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    UN Women will deliver some key results in 2017, including the update of the IASC’s Gender Policy and its accountability framework. It will also be officially implementing its flagship programme initiatives covering response, recovery and resilience (LEAP) and DRR (Gender Inequality of Risk).

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Empower and protect women and girls', what would it be

    Building the sustainable capacity of women first responders, women CSOs and national women’s machinery in all aspects of humanitarian action is not only a rights issue, but also a transformative solution to improve resilience, increase the effectiveness of humanitarian response, accelerate early recovery efforts and transition to sustainable development.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ Gender

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑4A - Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems ☑ 4B - Anticipate, do not wait, for crises ☑ 5A - Invest in local capacities

3G
Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility

  • UN Women endorses the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action.


  • Policy
  • Leave No One Behind

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    UN Women endorsed the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action to increase attention to the situation of women and girls with disabilities, and commit to their empowerment and effective participation, as well as their protection, including through access to services, and sex and age disaggregated data on disabilities. Previously, UN Women had supported a pilot project on strengthening networks of women with disabilities in humanitarian action.

  • Achievements at a glance

    In 2016, UN Women provided support for the: analysis of existing data and building a database to include disaggregation by sex, age, and disability; inclusion of information on the situation of women with disabilities in publications (Pakistan); commitments to include measures to address the needs of women with disabilities in post-disaster recovery frameworks (Nepal); incorporation of actions to address intersecting forms of discrimination, such as stigma faced by people with disabilities in the National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (Timor-Leste); cash-for-work programme for Syrian refugees (Jordan); humanitarian assistance for women with disabilities (Tajikistan); and disability-inclusive GBV services (Tanzania). The one year project on Strengthening Networks of Women with Disabilities in Humanitarian action increased capacity of organizations of women with disabilities to engage in humanitarian action through policy and practice, as well as mapping strengths, gaps, and opportunities in engaging women and girls with disabilities in humanitarian and development action.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress is measured through reporting in the UN Women’s results management system. This includes identifying the number of countries that include women and girls with disabilities in humanitarian action; the type of inclusion (involving women and girls with disabilities, work with organizations of persons with disabilities, disability inclusion advocacy); and how it is reflected (a national plan, humanitarian assistance, knowledge product). At the global level, we look at processes in which UN Women participates to increase visibility of women and girls with disabilities in humanitarian action. This includes input to reports, co-sponsoring side-events, contributing to inter-agency and multi-stakeholder processes.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    The continued siloed approach to development and humanitarian action, to gender equality and the empowerment of women and inclusion of women and girls with disabilities (including those with intersecting identities) continues to be a major challenge. This often leads to the exclusion of women and girls with disabilities from humanitarian action by women’s organizations, disabled people’s organizations, humanitarian and development actors. When included, the agency and leadership of women and girls with disabilities are overlooked. In addition, services, communication and infrastructure may not be accessible leading to further exclusion.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In 2017 UN Women joined the Humanitarian Action Working Group of the Global Action on Disability (GLAD) Network. One of the key mechanisms with which the Working Group will engage is the IASC task team, established to create and endorse guidelines for implementation of the Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action. UN Women is exploring ways to scale up the pilot project on strengthening networks of women with disabilities in humanitarian action, and systematically include more women and girls with disabilities in UN Women’s programmes on peace, security, and humanitarian action.

  • If you had one message for the annual report on what is most needed to advance the transformation 'Address other groups or minorities in crisis settings', what would it be

    Recognize that multiple intersecting factors such as gender, age, ethnicity, and minority status necessitate distinct responses and measures. Pay specific attention to the situation of women and girls of all ages with disabilities in situations of risk and humanitarian emergencies and take all necessary action to empower and protect them, recognizing their leadership and contributions, including through development of gender-sensitive inter-agency guidelines.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disability ☑ Gender

  • Specific initiatives

    ☑Charter on Inclusion of Persons with Disabilities in Humanitarian Action

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3D - Empower and protect women and girls

4A
Reinforce, do not replace, national and local systems

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • UN Women commits to work with the United Nations system and other key partners on innovative cash transfer schemes to provide greater access to lifesaving and early recovery assistance to women and girls across the humanitarian development continuum.
  • Operational
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to reinforce national and local leadership and capacities in managing disaster and climate-related risks through strengthened preparedness and predictable response and recovery arrangements.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to increase investment in building community resilience as a critical first line of response, with the full and effective participation of women.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to ensure regional and global humanitarian assistance for natural disasters complements national and local efforts.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to increase substantially and diversify global support and share of resources for humanitarian assistance aimed to address the differentiated needs of populations affected by humanitarian crises in fragile situations and complex emergencies, including increasing cash-based programming in situations where relevant.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to empower national and local humanitarian action by increasing the share of financing accessible to local and national humanitarian actors and supporting the enhancement of their national delivery systems, capacities and preparedness planning.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    UN Women had previously provided cash aid and livelihood opportunities for women in humanitarian settings. UN Women made this commitment in order to increase access for women and girls and ensure the use of best practices.

  • Achievements at a glance

    UN Women has worked to ensure a greater voice for women and the agency of female beneficiaries in its cash aid delivery. This included creating women-led committees for beneficiary selection, providing women-centric spaces from which cash aid was delivered and creating small standalone cash interventions for women in Jordan.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Progress is being assessed through country reporting mechanisms on the implementation and results of cash-based initiatives. Women's access to these programmes will be measured from 2016 to 2020 and compared to baseline measures to determine if access was improved.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    Cash-based initiatives are relatively new for UN Women, particularly in the humanitarian space. For this reason, several challenges have been faced in implementation. Establishing a space for UN Women in the area of cash transfers, among actors who are already working in this field, has been difficult. Innovative approaches must be used in order to ensure UN Women’s presence in cash aid initiatives.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In the 2017 cycle, UN Women is working to develop a programme that would use blockchain technology to provide digital payments to women in humanitarian settings.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Cash ☑ Gender

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3D - Empower and protect women and girls

4B
Anticipate, do not wait, for crises

Individual Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Commitment Type
  • Core Responsibility
  • As part of the implementation of the Sendai Framework, UN Women commits to launch an UN-wide transformative programme to engender natural disaster prevention and preparedness in a changing climate in 2016/17.
  • Policy
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

Core Commitment

  • Commitment
  • Core Responsibility
  • Commit to a new way of working that meets people's immediate humanitarian needs, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years through the achievement of collective outcomes. To achieve this, commit to the following: a) Anticipate, Do Not Wait: to invest in risk analysis and to incentivize early action in order to minimize the impact and frequency of known risks and hazards on people. b) Reinforce, Do Not Replace: to support and invest in local, national and regional leadership, capacity strengthening and response systems, avoiding duplicative international mechanisms wherever possible. c) Preserve and retain emergency capacity: to deliver predictable and flexible urgent and life-saving assistance and protection in accordance with humanitarian principles. d) Transcend Humanitarian-Development Divides: work together, toward collective outcomes that ensure humanitarian needs are met, while at the same time reducing risk and vulnerability over multiple years and based on the comparative advantage of a diverse range of actors. The primacy of humanitarian principles will continue to underpin humanitarian action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need
  • Commit to accelerate the reduction of disaster and climate-related risks through the coherent implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015-2030, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Paris Agreement on Climate Change, as well as other relevant strategies and programs of action, including the SIDS Accelerated Modalities of Action (SAMOA) Pathway.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need Invest in Humanity
  • Commit to improve the understanding, anticipation and preparedness for disaster and climate-related risks by investing in data, analysis and early warning, and developing evidence-based decision-making processes that result in early action.
  • Change People's Lives: From Delivering Aid to Ending Need

  • What led your organization to make the commitment?

    With significant gaps in evidence, capacity and women’s participation related to gender equality in DRR, scale-up of support to Member States and gender advocates is required to ensure effective delivery on gender commitments under the Sendai Framework. Best practices and lessons with potential to accelerate global efforts, emerging from the implementation of the Sendai Framework, also requires a mechanism for knowledge exchange and replication. To close gaps and scale up best practices, UN Women, IFRC, and UNISDR joined forces under a Global Programme: Addressing Gender Inequality of Risk and Promoting Community Resilience to Natural Hazards in a Changing Climate.

  • Achievements at a glance

    UN Women has dedicated capacity on DRR, as it established the Crisis Preparedness, Prevention and Response Unit in Geneva. DRR has become a priority of UN Women under Pillar 4 of the current strategic plan. Furthermore, the GIR programme will address the high and unequal risk exposure of women and girls to the impact of climate- related natural disasters and the detrimental effect this has on the levels of resilience of individuals, households and wider communities. The GIR will provide a mechanism to support countries to operationalize and achieve the gender commitments under the Sendai Framework Agreement for Disaster Risk Reduction. The GIR will be launched in May 2017 and will cover four to six pilot countries in Asia/Pacific and Africa, and possibly also in Latin America and the Caribbean as well as Eastern Europe and Central Asia.

  • How is your organization assessing progress

    Activities are ongoing. UN Women supports the UN Working Group on DRR ensuring gender mainstreaming in UN joint DRR efforts, developing a gender scorecard for the Sendai Framework, contributing to Word into Action guidelines, hosting side events on women’s empowerment at the Global Platform on DRR and Third World Reconstruction Conference in 2017. Country programmes to accelerate implementation of gender commitments in DRR start in mid-2017, strengthening understanding of gender dimensions of risk, gender responsive assessments, sex disaggregated data, research, institutional capacity, engagement of women in preparedness and resilience building, and building coalitions and capacity of women’s organizations to influence DRR.

  • Challenges faced in implementation

    The major challenge for the implementation of GIR is ensuring political will to commit and allocate resources to gender- responsive DRR. Furthermore, the lack of capacity, evidence and sex and age disaggregated data is a challenge, which the programme is targeting. The current restrictive financial environment may pose a challenge to raise the required funding for full implementation of the programme.

  • Next step to advance implementation in 2017

    In March and April 2017 continued consultation and situation analyses will be conducted to inform programme development at the country, regional and global levels. Throughout 2017, donor engagement for resource mobilization for the programme will occur. The Global Platform will be launched in May 2017. Baseline studies and implementation will take place from mid-2017.

  • Cross cutting issues

    ☑Disaster Risk Reduction ☑ Gender

  • Other related Agenda for Humanity transformations

    ☑3D - Empower and protect women and girls