Gender and disaster risk reduction in Europe and Central Asia

This guide is designed for facilitators and trainers working to incorporate gender perspectives in disaster risk reduction (DRR) programmes and initiatives. It is meant to assist workshop participants— including practitioners and officials from the United Nations, national governments, civil society organizations (CSOs), and other institutions—in gaining an understanding of the gendered impact of disasters. It also helps them learn how to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate gender-responsive DRR programmes and initiatives.

The information in this guide is based on the context of gender equality issues in Europe and Central Asia (ECA). Measures laid out draw on the experiences of women and men in this region to ensure that their needs are met when communities, organizations or governments are preparing for the onset of disasters and during recovery and resilience-building efforts. Disaster mitigation is not covered in this guide because of existing literature (guidance) on the topic.

The guide is a collaborative effort between the UNDP Istanbul Regional Hub for Europe and the CIS, and the UN Women Europe and Central Asia Regional Office. It includes resources from United Nations agencies along with specialized institutions for disaster risk reduction, in particular, the Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings developed by UNFPA. It also incorporates best practices and approaches from UNDP and UN Women in ECA and beyond. It is available in English and Russian.