Reducing sexual and gender-based violence in emergencies

Actions taken:

32IC pledges:  Update July 2019

JOINT PLEDGES – NEW ZEALAND RED CROSS/NEW ZEALAND GOVERNMENT

Pledge – Reducing sexual and gender-based violence in emergencies

The Government and National Society of New Zealand jointly pledge:

• Within our respective mandates as well as within the context of New Zealand’s National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security as relevant, to work for prevention and greater awareness of sexual and gender-based violence during humanitarian crises, including by promoting protection of persons from sexual and gender-based violence under the relevant bodies of law; and
• To take active measures to seek to ensure appropriate prevention of, and response to, sexual and gender-based violence in the planning, deliver and monitoring of humanitarian assistance activities.

Proposed evaluation criteria

a. Acknowledgement of the issue of SGBV in humanitarian crises and promotion of IHL and other legal protections from SGBV at relevant meetings, including in IHL dissemination efforts.

Actions to date (NZRC):

• The NZ Government highlighted women, peace and security issues during their United Nations Security Council membership, making a statement at the UN Security Council Open Debate on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), October 2016.
• NZRC has developed a programme for secondary schools, called “Women and War: promoting awareness of IHL and gendered impacts of conflict, including SGBV.
• NZRC is working with colleagues in the NZ Defence Force to plan and deliver training to gender focal points in our respective organisations and more widely to other NGOs in respect of the obligations in the National Plan of Action on Women, Peace and Security (UN Resolution 1325).
• NZ Government attended the inaugural meeting of the Network of Focal Points for Women, Peace and Security in Spain, April 2017.
• NZ Government advocated for strengthening language on SGBV in UN General Assembly and UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) resolutions during the 71st General Assembly.

Actions to date (NZ Government):

• NZ Government is currently revising its National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS).
• NZ Government continues to support the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.
• NZ Government signed the United Nations Secretary General-led Voluntary Compact on Preventing Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and endorsed the Vancouver Principles on Peacekeeping and the Prevention of the Recruitment and Use of Child Soldiers.

Key upcoming opportunities

• UNSC WPS open debate, 26 Oct (NYK draft)

Proposed evaluation criteria

b. Internationally and domestically, gender-based sensitive approaches to programming for humanitarian assistance that:

• Promote women’s empowerment and gender equality, including through the representation of women in processes related to the assessment, planning, implementation and evaluation of our humanitarian programming, and through identifying opportunities for and obstacles to building the resilience of women; and
• Engage with and support as appropriate existing organisations/structures working on or providing services in response to sexual and gender-based violence, working to ensure their continued resilience and service continuity in times of emergency; so as to seek to ensure unimpeded access to non-discriminatory support services required at all times;

Actions to date (NZRC)

• The NZ Government aid programme is supporting programming on domestic violence (for example the Pacific Partnership on Domestic Violence Prevention, PPDVP).
• NZRC has integrated SGBV into disaster recovery plans following the November 2016 Earthquakes, centred in Kaikoura.
• NZRC has incorporated the issue into programme planning guidance and training for community-led emergency resilience planning, Recovery Matters and the Psychological First Aid programme.
• NZRC is working with the Civil Military planning group
• to deliver a training session for about 30 NGOs prior to Civil Military exercises in October 2017. NZRC consulted with the planning committee to incorporate appropriate SGBV elements into the scenario.
• The NZ government continues to implement the National Action Plan for the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, including 1325, on Women, Peace and Security 2015-2019.
• NZRC’s Disaster Risk Management team is in November 2018 recruiting a Capacity Development Advisor, who will ensure that NZRC people responding in disasters are trained and supported to identify and reduce SGBV in disasters.
• NZRC is part of the Pacific Gender and Diversity Network, working to mainstream gender and diversity into the programmes and activities of 12 participating national societies. A NZRC delegate was network Chair for a year up to July 2017.  A NZRC delegate is the current network Secretary.
• NZRC supported the development of Minimum Standards for PGI inclusion in emergencies at Pacific Gender and Diversity Network meetings.
• NZRC co-funded the Annual Pacific Gender and Diversity network meeting and workshops in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
• NZRC working in partnership with IFRC Suva, ARC has supported Pacific National Societies to include ongoing messaging in communities on reducing SGBV within community disaster and health messages. Activities includes distributing IEC materials and referral information explain to the most vulnerable groups and training of key staff and volunteers on how to respond to identified cases.
• NZRC funded the Asia-Pacific Protection, gender and Inclusion in Emergencies – PGI surge training in Kuala Lumpur in May 2019. 15 National Societies attended. Specific aims of the workshop included bringing together practitioners from across the Asia-Pacific Region and to build a pool of capable PGI experts for both regional and global response.
• NZRC is co-funding a Protection, Gender and Inclusion role in IFRC Kuala Lumpur to support the integration of PGI policies and procedures into National Society programmes and emergency response and help implement and operationalise various PGI tools and processes.
• NZRC participated in the Regional Prevention of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) Workshop in Kuala Lumpur in June 2019. This was attended by NZRC and was coordinated in part by the IFRC Regional PGI Coordinator based in Kuala Lumpur, who is co-funded by NZRC. This was the first regional workshop on PSEA and was aimed at supporting National Societies to develop their own PSEA policies to enhance National Society capacity to ensure safe and inclusive workplaces and operations.
• NZRC has identified PGI delegates and continues to support their capacity building with attendance at PGI meetings and workshops – such as the Annual Pacific Gender and Diversity network meeting (now Pacific PGI Network) meetings.
• NZRC has incorporated PGI awareness into IMPACT training courses for delegates since 2018 and have also included PSEA into the 2019 IMPACT training.
• NZRC participated in the Council for International Development / Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade Implementing Safeguarding Workshop in March 2019.
• NZRC remains committed to promoting the IFRC Strategic Framework on Gender and Diversity Issues 2013 – 2020, and the IFRC Minimum Standard Commitments to Gender and Diversity in Emergency Programming.
• NZRC delivered a Dignity, Access, Participating and Safety (DAPS) framework presentation to Tuvalu National Society staff and volunteers in March 2019.
• NZRC delivered a Dignity, Access, Participation and Safety (DAPS) framework presentation to Tuvalu National Society staff and volunteers in March 2019.

Actions to date (NZ Government):

• NZ Government advocated for gender inclusion and women’s empowerment at the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC HAS) in 2019.
• NZ Government finalised a three funding arrangement in 2019 with the International Planned Parenthood Foundation (IPPF) to provide sexual and reproductive health services in emergencies in Tuvalu, the Cook Islands and Kiribati. NZ Government is supporting programming on domestic violence, particularly in the Pacific. This includes a long running partnership with Fiji Women’s Crisis Centre, which provides education, crisis counselling and legal support for suffers and survivors of domestic violence.
• NZ Government supports ChildFund NZ in PNG to establish and promote a national, free-to-call hotline service to support victims of gender-based violence.
• NZ Government is delivering the Pacific Parliamentary Effective Initiative to increase training and support to potential women political candidates.
• NZ Government is also delivering the Pacific Judicial Strengthening Initiative that trains judicial officers in taking a gender sensitive approach, focusing on gender based violence.
• NZ Government provides multi-year core funding to UN Women and the UN Population Fund (UNFPA). NZ Government also provided multiple contributions to UNFPA in support of their gender-responsive programming in response to the Rohingya refugee crisis in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh.
• NZ Government has also provided funding to NZ Non-Government Organisations (NGOs) (including Oxfam, World Vision and Caritas) to deliver gender-responsive humanitarian assistance, including

Key upcoming opportunities

• Implementation of WPS NAP (Ongoing – first annual report expected mid-December 2016)
• NZRC funding upcoming Protection, Gender and Inclusion role at IFRC Suva. To support the integration of PGI policies and procedures into National Society programmes and emergency response, it has been identified that a dedicated Pasifika focal point is needed. This role would be to help implement and operationalise various PGI tools and processes.
• NZRC to participate at the Asia-Pacific Protection, Gender and Inclusion in Emergencies – PGI surge training in Kuala Lumpur end of May 2019.
• NZRC to implement PGI Action plan developed at the Annual Pacific Gender and Diversity Network meeting in Fiji in in May 2019.

Proposed evaluation criteria

c. New Zealand Red Cross publication of a best practice guide or resource materials to help inform prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence in disaster preparedness, response and recovery, based in part on lessons learnt from the Canterbury earthquakes response.

Actions to date (NZRC):

• A major evaluation of the NZRC Canterbury Earthquake Appeal and Recovery Programme has been completed and a process is underway to take the lessons learned and embed them in the organisation. This included a number of local partnerships with service providers to respond to the increased reporting of SGBV.

Implementation completion: