COVID-19, conflict and sexual violence: reversing the burden of proof

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Sexual violence in armed conflict, while prohibited by international humanitarian law, remains a brutal reality. To mark the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict, Sophie Sutrich, ICRC’s Head of Addressing Sexual Violence, highlights the effects of conflict-related sexual violence on its survivors and discusses the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic.   Read more

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The impact of COVID-19 pandemic on the women, peace and security agenda in Africa

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Women-led organisations that are dealing with peace, security and development are playing a key role in developing policies, strategies and guidelines for gender-responsive actions to prevent and combat COVID-19, and in post-COVID-19 recovery.   Read more

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Women, peace and a pandemic: Translating gender provisions in peace deals into peaceful and inclusive societies during the COVID-19 outbreak

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“Today, it should be unthinkable for peace talks or negotiations that take place in the world to not incorporate gender as a central aspect, since women not only have a right to meaningful participation, but are also key actors in the construction of peace.” – Nigeria Renteria, principal negotiator in the peace process between the Colombian Government and the Colombian Revolutionary Armed Forces (FARC) Ms. Renteria’s statement during the online panel discussion on Gender in…

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Six concrete measures to support women and girls in all their diversity in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic

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COVID-19 is not only a health issue, just as HIV never was. It impacts on a wide range of human rights, and although it affects all people, it does so unequally. Women and girls in all their diversity are experiencing the greatest impact of the crisis. COVID-19 has highlighted the stark inequalities across societies, with a lack of pandemic preparedness and fragile or non-functioning institutions posing graver impacts.   Download

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In this extraordinary time, routine healthcare is essential

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As global health leaders, governments, civil society and NGOs grapple to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic, the voices of women and girls remain largely unheard. The Coronavirus Global Response launched by the European Commission has raised €9.8 billion to date to combat the pandemic; however, allocations explicitly for the protection and continued provision of routine services for women, adolescents and children have not materialised (the majority of funds are earmarked for vaccines development, deployment and diagnostics)….

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Where are the women? The conspicuous absence of women in COVID-19 response teams and plans, and why we need them

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The COVID-19 crisis is disproportionately affecting women and girls. This makes it all the more important that their voices are equally included in the decision-making spaces and processes where responses are formed. CARE’s research has found that where women do have higher levels of leadership, governments are more likely to be responding to the crisis in a way that supports gender equality. Women’s participation is necessary at every level and in every arena, from national…

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Justice for Women Amidst COVID-19

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This rapid assessment builds on what we know about women’s existing justice needs as documented in an earlier Justice for Women report (2019). It examines the impacts of COVID-19, policy responses and outlines policy recommendations for the period ahead. Using a gender lens, the report documents major threats to women’s lives and livelihoods associated with COVID-19 – namely, curtailed access to justice institutions, rising intimate partner violence (IPV), threats to women’s rights to sexual and…

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Covid-19: How do we ensure women aren’t left behind?

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The pandemic is amplifying inequalities and exacerbating violence, insecurity and poverty. This blog post argues that women and girls living in conflict – those who already tend to be unheard and unseen – are being disproportionately impacted and calls for a coordinated and inclusive global response with gender at its core.   Read more

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A Rapid Gender analysis on COVID-19 in South Sudan

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South Sudan is a country with already pre-existing inequalities, gender norms and perceptions of who a man and woman is. The experiences of women and girls in South Sudan are starkly different to that of men and boys and the civil war, poverty and societal norms in the country has put women and girls at a disadvantage to seek out a livelihood, good healthcare, education etc. than their male counterparts. The COVID-19 outbreak in South…

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How COVID-19 is changing the world: a statistical perspective

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Throughout the current crisis, the international statistics community has continued to work together, in partnership with national statistical offices and systems around the world to ensure that the best quality data and statistics are available to support decision making during and after the crisis. This report – compiled jointly by 36 international organizations, under the aegis of the Committee for the Coordination of Statistical Activities (CCSA) – gives a small flavor of that cooperation. It provides a snapshot of…

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