UN – The United Nations says about 60 per cent of all maternal deaths take place in humanitarian settings and all forms of gender-based violence against women and girls occur during disasters and conflict.
According to a document from the UN Women on Tuesday in New York, disasters kill more women than men and also hit women’s livelihoods hardest.
It stated that experience and research show that when women are included in humanitarian action, the entire community benefits.
In spite of this, it added, women and girls are often excluded from decision-making processes that shape the response strategies that affect their community to recover from crisis.
The UN agency, therefore said that women must be included in decision-making about the forms of assistance, means of delivery and economic and social empowerment opportunities they need so they can be agents of change.
It added that at the World Humanitarian Summit (WHS) in Istanbul, Turkey, to be held from Monday, May 23 to Tuesday, May 24:
“UN Women will be leading preparations for the High-Level Leaders’ Roundtable entitled:”Women and Girls: Catalysing Action to Achieve Gender Equality.
It stated that it will be one of seven roundtables at which leaders from member states, the UN and multilateral actors, and civil society will come together to endorse commitments to improve humanitarian action worldwide.
It added that the five commitments to be endorsed by stakeholders at the Roundtable will include: empowering women and girls as leaders.
It will also discuss on increasing support for local women’s groups to participate meaningfully in humanitarian action.
Others are ensuring universal access to sexual and reproductive health and rights for all women and adolescent girls in crisis settings.
The roundtable will also consider implementing a coordinated global approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in crisis.
The UN agency will also press for full compliance with humanitarian policies, frameworks and binding documents on gender equality, women’s empowerment and rights.
NAN reports that the UN said of the no fewer than 100 million people in need of humanitarian assistance, an estimated 26 million of them are women and adolescent girls.
(NAN)
