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Guidance Note on Applying Feminist Approaches to Humanitarian Action - GBV AoR Helpdesk 2024
16 Jul, 2024
This paper considers the question of whether feminist theories and principles hold the potential to help the humanitarian system better meet many of its highest priorities. Research across the world provides widespread evidence that feminism can benefit not just women and girls, but entire communities and societies. Already across the UN system, there are strong normative frameworks and rhetorical commitments to women’s rights and empowerment. Feminist principles are deeply embedded in UN conventions and guidance that are key to humanitarian response. However, at the level of humanitarian action, these feminist principles tend to “show up” most regularly and explicitly only in specific areas: GBV prevention and response, gender mainstreaming and gender-transformative programming, and the Women, Peace and Security Agenda. Despite the strong normative frameworks and rhetorical commitments to women’s rights and empowerment, and despite empirical evidence on the value of advancing fe...
Tip Sheet: Collective Care - GBV AoR Helpdesk 2024
28 Feb, 2024
This tip sheet introduces the concept of collective care, emphasizing its importance for individuals working on gender-based violence (GBV) in humanitarian emergencies. Collective care involves groups taking communal responsibility for each member's well-being and is seen as a feminist, political strategy supporting personal resilience and sustainability of feminist movements. The document discusses the differences between self-care and collective care, outlines the basic elements and practical examples of collective care, highlights potential issues that may arise, and stresses the need for an inclusive approach considering intersecting axes of exclusion and marginalization.
Navigating the Increased Pushback on GBV Terminology in the Arab States - GBV AoR and UNFPA
26 Jun, 2025
Around the world, efforts to advance gender equality and combat gender-based violence (GBV) are facing intensified resistance. A global wave of rising conservatism, backlash against women’s rights, and shrinking civic space is threatening decades of hard-won progress. This trend is not confined to any one region—it is unfolding across continents, in both conflictaffected and stable settings alike. The Arab States region has not been spared. Across the region, the discourse surrounding GBV and gender equality is increasingly constrained. Political instability, growing conservatism, and further restrictions on civil society have placed significant pressure on women’s rights organizations, activists, and service providers. These challenges undermine both policy advocacy and the delivery of life-saving services to GBV survivors. Yet despite these obstacles, organizations, agencies, and advocates continue to adapt and persevere—developing contextspecific, resilient, and often innovative str...