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Enhancing gender-responsive resilience

How the WRD Policy Tracker drives accountability for inclusive disaster frameworks

22 December 2024

As women and girls are among the most disproportionately affected by disasters, the urgency for gender-responsive and inclusive resilience frameworks has never been greater. UN Women’s Policy Tracker, a cornerstone of the Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Knowledge Hub, serves as a critical accountability mechanism for monitoring national and regional disaster risk reduction (DRR) frameworks of 193 UN Member States. It tracks the development of gender-responsive and inclusive legal, policy, strategic, and planning frameworks, enabling a comparative analysis of progress, identification of gaps, and the recognition of best practices globally. By analyzing commitments to inclusivity and gender equality, the Policy Tracker ensures that high-risk groups identified by the Sendai Framework, as well as LGBTIQA+ individuals, are included in DRR, resilience and climate adaptation frameworks. 

A tool for accountability: Benchmarking progress and inclusion 

The Policy Tracker assesses national and regional frameworks against the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, with a focus on inclusivity of the high-risk groups identified in the Framework: children and youth, indigenous and ethnic minorities, migrant and displaced people, older people, people living in extreme poverty, and persons with disabilities. In addition to these, the tracker also analyzes the inclusion of LGBTQIA+ individuals. By providing transparent, comparative data, the tracker enables governments, advocates, and practitioners to evaluate progress, identify gaps and best practices, and drive actionable change. 

The latest findings highlight both advancements and areas needing improvement: 

  • 31 countries now have frameworks inclusive of all high-risk groups, a significant increase from 18. This progress underscores growing recognition of intersectional vulnerabilities in disaster planning. 

  • 92 countries incorporate gender commitments in their DRR frameworks, up from 71, reflecting heightened awareness of gender inequalities in disaster contexts. 

  • However, only 16 countries explicitly highlight the meaningful participation of women or women’s organizations in policy development—a modest increase from 14. 

By shining a light on these gaps and successes, the Policy Tracker transforms data into a call for accountability and continuous improvement. Recommended actions for addressing these gaps are outlined under Key Objectives 3 and 4 of the Sendai GAP, which align with the Sendai Framework Priority 2: Strengthening disaster risk governance to manage disaster risk. These actions emphasize the importance of gender-responsive disaster risk governance to drive equitable resilience outcomes. Read more on the Sendai GAP here

Best practices and exemplary frameworks 

The Policy Tracker identifies notable advancements in the inclusivity of DRR frameworks. Countries like Argentina, Costa Rica, New Zealand, and Perú stand out for their holistic policies that address the needs of all Sendai Framework high-risk groups, including LGBTIA+ persons. These countries demonstrate exceptional integration of gender, offering scalable models for gender-responsive disaster governance. 

Other highlights include:

  • Global progress in inclusive frameworks 
    A key achievement highlighted by the Policy Tracker is the global adoption of disaster resilience frameworks inclusive of all seven high-risk groups identified in the Sendai Framework. This milestone has been reached in 28 countries across diverse regions, spanning from Australia to Bénin to Laos and Somalia. The inclusion of LGBTQIA+ persons in countries like Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, New Zealand, Nicaragua, and Perú sets a benchmark for integrating further intersectional considerations into policymaking. 

  • Regional leadership in gender responsiveness 
    Every region now has at least one disaster risk reduction or disaster risk management (DRM) framework inclusive of women. The Pacific region emerges as a global leader, with 100% of countries developing gender-responsive frameworks, followed by 71% in the Americas and the Caribbean and 67% in Asia. This progress signals a growing recognition of the disproportionate impact disasters have on women and the critical need for their perspectives in shaping resilience strategies. 

  • Further insights into high-risk group inclusion 
    The Pacific region also leads in including children and youth in its frameworks, achieving 100% inclusion—a significant leap from 86%—while the Americas and the Caribbean (69%) and Asia (67%) follow closely. Comprehensive approaches inclusive of high-risk groups exemplify how diverse vulnerabilities can be systematically addressed, offering scalable models for other nations to emulate. 

The tracker also highlights that nearly half of inclusive frameworks analyzed are plans rather than laws or policies, signaling the need for enforceable, binding commitments to ensure resilience-building efforts translate into sustained impact. 

Spotlight on the Pacific and the Americas and the Caribbean 

The Pacific faces unique climate challenges, from rising sea levels to increasingly severe tropical storms. In response, Pacific nations have made noteworthy strides in developing gender-responsive and inclusive DRR frameworks. As previously mentioned, for example, the Pacific leads globally in inclusive frameworks, achieving full regional inclusion of at least one high-risk group across 100% of its countries (14). Supporting gender-responsive DRR frameworks is a central part of the WRD programme in the Pacific, which emphasizes the critical importance of investing in Pacific women's leadership and agency in addressing climate and disaster risks. By prioritizing women's active participation in resilience planning and decision-making, the region sets a powerful example of how inclusive governance strengthens community resilience. 

Similarly, the Americas and the Caribbean have demonstrated leadership in integrating inclusivity into disaster resilience strategies. Argentina, Canada, Costa Rica, and Perú stand out for their inclusive approaches, incorporating the perspectives of high-risk groups such as women, children, and persons with disabilities. These four countries are three of six to have frameworks inclusive of all high-risk groups as well as LGBTQIA+ persons, indicating the Americas and Caribbean as a standout leader in incorporating high-risk groups into their DRR and resilience frameworks. The Pacific is the only other region to have frameworks that meet these criteria, demonstrating that the Americas & the Caribbean and the Pacific are commendable examples for inclusion of the Sendai Framework's high-risk groups into frameworks. 

Next steps: From data to action 

While the Policy Tracker showcases significant progress, much work remains to achieve truly inclusive disaster policies. Key next steps include:

  1. Investing in funding and capacity building: Allocate funding and ensure technical support to enable the effective implementation of the commitments outlined in the frameworks. 

  1. Strengthening participation: Actively promote the participation of women and other high-risk groups in policymaking, ensuring their involvement goes beyond commitments in principles and consultation to drive more equitable, sustainable and effective outcomes. 

  1. Scaling best practices: Share successful approaches across regions to foster collaborative learning and accelerate global improvements in resilience planning. The recent Regional Platforms and upcoming Global Platform for DRR provide the ideal space for shared learning.  

  1. Shifting toward legislative approaches: Advocate for a transition from plans to enforceable legislation, incorporating gender-responsive budgeting and robust accountability mechanisms. 

  1. Advocating for LGBTQIA+ inclusion: Raise awareness of the differential impacts of disasters on LGBTQIA+ populations and emphasize the importance of addressing their needs and have them participate comprehensively within disaster resilience frameworks. 

Conclusion 

The WRD Policy Tracker is more than a repository of data; it is a catalyst for change. By identifying gender-responsive and inclusive disaster frameworks, and rendering them visible and actionable, this tool empowers stakeholders to advocate for resilience policies that leave no one behind based on evidence. Continued investments in inclusivity and accountability will ensure that progress translates into stronger women’s resilience and meaningful outcomes for communities worldwide. 

As climate and disaster risks grow, our commitments to prioritizing the most vulnerable in DRR and resilience frameworks must strengthen. Tools like the WRD Policy Tracker drive global accountability, paving the way for a more equitable and resilient future. 


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