Report for the midterm review of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction (2015-2030)

Since 2015, UN-Women has supported gender-responsive and inclusive disaster risk reduction and resilience and contributed to the Sendai Framework Outcome and Goals by: i) securing commitment for the gender-transformative implementation of the Sendai Framework; ii) building an enabling environment and supporting system-wide change including strengthening normative frameworks, and women’s leadership and empowerment at all levels, providing capacity development, strengthening the collection and use of gender data and gender analysis, and mobilising networks and partners for more coordinated approaches; and by iii) supporting targeted action for ensuring women and girls have voice and agency to withstand multiple hazards, recover from disasters, and increase their resilience to future disasters and threats.

UN Women’s work has accelerated, following the launch of its DRR signature programme, the Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Programme, financed by the Australian government in the Pacific and through its sister programmes supported by donors including the governments of Sweden, Japan, Canada, and the UK in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. The WRD programme aims to render the lives and livelihoods of women and girls resilient to disasters and threats, contributing to sustainable, secure, and thriving communities. The objective is for WRD countries to adopt gender-responsive decision-making and governance systems and enable targeted action to build the resilience of women and girls.

Since 2015, UN Women contributed to gender-responsive disaster risk reduction and resilience policy frameworks and targeted action that strengthen women’s resilience in 51 countries, covering 778 million people, through the provision of technical support and close cooperation with national governments and 1,407 women’s organisations, as well as 50 UN entities. In 2021 alone, UN-Women worked with 245 women’s organisations and disaster resilience stakeholders in 47 countries to increase women’s access to gender-responsive early warning systems, finance, services, resilient infrastructure, and resilient livelihoods and businesses.

In this report, UN Women outlines its key achievements in relation to each Sendai Framework priority and recommendations for Gender-Transformative DRR.