The Arab States region is prone to the impact of hazards, such as earthquakes, sand and dust storms, droughts, locust infestations and tropical cyclones that affect large, often transnational regions, as well as localized hazard events such as flash floods and landslides which nevertheless have mid- to long-term adverse impacts on affected populations.
For women in the region, these hazards coupled with food insecurity, conflict, and forced migration further complicate and compound the risk of increased inequality and violence. Despite their potential to address disaster risk reduction, build resilience, and respond to climate change, their participation is limited and their solutions are underfunded.
UN Women in the region is engaged with gender-mainstreaming regional normative and coordination mechanisms on DRR, including the Arab Regional Platform for DRR- a multi-stakeholder, inclusive, innovative and interactive platform which highlights the gender dimensions of disasters. UN Women’s regional work has supported various initiatives related to DRR, such as the adoption of the Rabat Declaration for Disaster Risk Reduction, the launch of a regional assessment report on DRR in the Arab region and the Women’s Leadership in Disaster Risk Reduction publication, a collective cooperation of UN agencies and regional organizations.
