WUNRN
European Commission – Humanitarian & Civil Protection
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/what/humanitarian-aid/gender-sensitive-aid_en
Website Link Includes Video.
GENDER – Different Needs, Adapted Assistance FACT SHEET
http://ec.europa.eu/echo/files/aid/countries/factsheets/thematic/gender_en.pdf
Gender-and
Age-Sensitive Aid
Why is
this important?
Populations affected by humanitarian crises are made up of people
of different ages and gender. Women, children and the elderly constitute the
majority of those affected by crises. Yet, while assistance often focuses on
them, humanitarian aid activities are at times designed without considering
their specific needs. For instance, water containers should not be too heavy so
that children or elderly women are able to carry them.
Moreover, natural disasters and man-made crises are not
gender-neutral – they have a different impact on women, girls, boys, men and
elderly persons. Thus, humanitarian assistance must take gender and age into
account when responding effectively to the different needs and abilities of
different groups.
Aid that is gender- and age-insensitive is less effective. It risks
not reaching the most vulnerable people or failing to respond adequately to
their specific needs. Furthermore, it could expose vulnerable populations to
risks such as sexual and gender-based violence.
How are
we helping?
To ensure that the highest quality of humanitarian responses can be
provided to those in need, gender and age issues are always considered in
humanitarian operations funded by the European Commission's Humanitarian Aid
and Civil Protection Department (ECHO). Furthermore, specific actions are
targeted at volunerable groups, such as women (e.g., nutritional support to
pregnant and breast-feeding women), children (e.g., child protection or
education in emergencies) and elderly people (e.g. health assistance to elderly
people living in isolated communities).
In addition to specific targeted actions, gender and age
considerations need to be mainstreamed in all operations. Regarding gender, in
line with the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid and following
recommendations from the Gender Review ,
ECHO has developed a gender approach for humanitarian assistance. Aid projects
funded through the EU humanitarian budget are expected to follow the guidance
outlined in the Staff Working Document on Gender in Humanitarian Assistance:
Different Needs, Adapted Assistance (official version,
brochure version available in English , French and Spanish).
In 2014, ECHO introduced a Gender-Age Marker (available inEnglish , French ,
and Spanish )
as a quality tool to assess to promote and track gender- and age- sensitive
humanitarian interventions. This new instrument builds on lessons learned from
existing ones and is applied when evaluating new projects by partners.