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International Strategy for Disaster
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International
Conference on Gender and Disaster Risk Reduction
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Type: Meeting or conference
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Date: 20-22 Apr 2009
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Location:
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Language: Chinese, English
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With live translation: Yes
Organizer
· All-China Women's Federation (ACWF)
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United Nations International Strategy for Disaster
Reduction Secretariat (UNISDR)
Main host
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All-China Women's Federation (ACWF)
Other host
Description
Purpose
The Conference aims to review the progress made and
challenges faced in mainstreaming gender perspectives into disaster risk
reduction. Special consideration will be given to issues related to climate
change adaptation, poverty reduction and community resilience Expected Result:
The Beijing Declaration for Action, which will be a set of priorities for
mainstreaming gender into disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation
Level of participation: Ministers, Parliamentarians and Senior Officials
responsible for issues related to gender, disaster risk reduction or
development.
Context
In recent years, different parts of the world have experienced an increased
impact of disasters, which have taken lives, destroyed livelihoods and damaged
socio-economic development. The trends in increasing disasters and disaster
losses have clearly challenged the limited capacity of the national and
international communities to respond to the needs of disaster-affected
populations. Today, a large number of people are still feeling the pain and
suffering from past disasters, such as the Wenchuan earthquake in 2008, Cyclone
Nargis in 2008, Africa drought in 2006, Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the
To prevent the loss of lives and protect socio-economic
development, a growing number of international bodies, governments, academics,
and civil society organizations are searching for ways to reduce people’s
vulnerabilities to disasters. At the 2005 World Conference on Disaster
Reduction (WCDR), 168 governments from around the world
adopted the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA), which aims to build the
resilience of nations and communities to disasters by 2015. In order to
implement the HFA, the UN has increased its leadership in disaster risk
reduction through enhanced coordination. 126 governments have designated
official focal points for the HFA. Some 46 countries have established
multi-stakeholder national platforms.
The ISDR System and Global Platform for Disaster Risk
Reduction have become the main vehicles to keep the momentum gained in disaster
risk reduction going. Most governments have submitted their second national
reports on progress made in their country in implementing the HFA. These
reports will be used as an input to preparations for the second session of the
Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction to be held in
Recently, gender perspectives have received more
attention from various stakeholders due to consistent global advocacy and
awareness-raising efforts that highlighted the importance of gender equality in
disaster risk reduction. The relationship between disaster risk reduction and
gender issues became apparent during the first session of the Global
Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction.
Since that time, gender perspectives have been
incorporated into the two major UN publications related to the HFA: Words into
Action and the Global Report on Disaster Risk Reduction.
However, progress in mainstreaming gender perspectives
into disaster risk reduction remains inadequate. Gender considerations are
still largely marginalized from the disaster
risk reduction process. Based on information provided in national reports on
disaster risk reduction, such marginalization of women is especially true at
the national level. In daily
realities, women are key victims as well as resilient forces to natural
disasters.
However, in disaster management and actions, women’s
voices are lost or inadequately addressed. In disaster reduction strategies and
actions, women and gender equality issues are marginalized, leading to
ineffective relief, rise in violations of women’s rights including violence
against women, and compromises in results of disaster reduction activities.
Unfortunately, women are more likely to be regarded as a
vulnerable group, rather than as leaders and contributors to building disaster
resilience at national and local levels. Both gender and disaster risk
reduction are cross-cutting development issues. To achieve sustainable
development, it is a win-win option for governments and other stakeholders to
mainstream gender perspectives into DRR and vice versa. This will not only
contribute to making nations and communities more resilient to disasters, but also
help address gender inequality in a comprehensive manner by promoting gender
equality in the political, social, technical, developmental and humanitarian
aspects of disaster risk reduction.
In addition to political commitment, the successful mainstreaming of gender
perspectives into disaster risk reduction requires good understanding and
capacity of both issues.
However, the widespread lack of understanding, political accountability and
capacity on gender and disaster risk reduction poses great challenges to the
national governments and
international community to mainstream gender perspectives in disaster risk
reduction.
Objectives:
- To review the progress made and challenges faced in
mainstreaming gender in disaster risk reduction;
- To share knowledge, experiences and good practices in gender and disaster
risk reduction;
- To discuss the major issues related to linking disaster risk reduction with
poverty reduction, climate change adaptation, community development and policy
making from gender perspectives;
- To recommend actions needed to mainstream gender into disaster risk reduction
process by the end Hyogo Framework for Action in 2015.
Target audience
Governments, UN agencies, International Organizations,
Academics and Civil Society
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