Progress and challenges in gender mainstreaming

 14:15 - 15:15 CET
 25 November 2021
 EFDRR Virtual Platform
 Virtual

Across Europe, progress has been achieved in the mainstreaming of gender in disaster risk reduction strategies. However, the ongoing COVID-19 emergency has revealed critical gaps and challenges that still exist in addressing vulnerabilities and risks specific to women in nearly every European Member State. An increase in gender-based violence, concerns around the burden of unpaid care work, and a decline in the number of women returning to formal work are only some of the gender specific impacts evidenced during the pandemic (EIGE 2021). 1  

In many contexts, existing strategies for health, social and economic welfare, security, and emergency management have proven to be insufficient in enabling women to deal with and recover from the impact of the crisis. But the pandemic also provides an unprecedented opportunity to critically examine the relevance and effectiveness of policy frameworks in mitigating and responding to gender specific needs during and after disasters and emergencies.  

This session will explore ongoing efforts to improve strategies and policies for assessing and reducing gender-based risk, increasing female participation in DRR decision-making and leadership, and building improved systems for data collection and knowledge dissemination on gender specific risks in Europe. Lessons learned, best practices, and ways forward will be highlighted for shared learning across Member States.  

This session aims to investigate three key priorities focusing on gender-responsive disaster risk reduction: 
1) The extent to which gender considerations are being incorporated in DRR policy and practice at the regional, national and local level in Europe (as evidenced by the experiences of the European Commission, DG Echo knowledge network, Member States, and local level organizations), and the challenges and barriers to implementation.  
2) How mainstreaming actions are evolving and the new tools and approaches that are being developed across Europe to understand gender dimensions of disaster risk (improved collection of Sex, Age and Disability disaggregated data, etc). 
3) The extent to which this new evidence base and awareness can be reflected in both European and international policies, decisions and investments to develop gender-responsive strategies for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation, including the ongoing recovery from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

Speakers

Moderator

Ms. Maureen Fordham 

Panelists

Ms. Katrien Van Der Heyden
Sociologist and gender and climate consultant 

Ms. Olga Djanaeva
Director of ALGA Rural Women Association & leader for Action Coalition on climate justice, Kyrgyzstan,

Ms. Clare Hutchinson
NATO Secretary General's Special Representative for Women, Peace and Security 

Mr. Ilan Kelman
Professor of Disasters and Health (UCL)  

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