Report on – 33rd IC Resolution 5: Women and leadership in the humanitarian action of the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement (33IC/19/R5) – Swedish Red Cross

Has your State/National Society/Institution incorporated the commitments contained in this resolution into the relevant strategic or operational plans?

The commitments are incorporated into:
Strategy
Policy
Operational plan

At the International, National level

Explanation:

Since 2019, Swedish Red Cross has had as an operational goal to strengthen the RCRC Movement by working for gender and diversity equality and equal opportunities in the leadership and work of the RCRC. Contributing to the development of the GLOW Red Network has been an important part of this work. In addition, SRC tabled the resolution at hand and supported the constitutional changes for a better gender balance in the IFRC Governing Board, adopted in 2019.

In 2023, Swedish Red Cross adopted a new strategy for 2024-2030 and one of the six focus areas is diversity and inclusion. A sub-strategy has been developed which include raising awareness around discrimination and building competence on diversity and inclusion across all levels of the organization and among both staff and volunteers. Trainings and workshops with management and governance teams were rolled-out in the end of 2023 and currently (in 2024) staff and volunteers are going through similar workshops.

For our international programs, SRC has developed a tool to ensure quality programming, and to ensure the systematic mainstreaming of diverse cross-cutting issues. This includes the mainstreaming of PGI minimum standards in all our international projects, collection and analysis of sex, age, and disability disaggregated data (SADDD) and the safe, confidential, and appropriate referral mechanisms. Additionally, all staff at the international department are conducting compulsory capacity building efforts as part of their onboarding and further roll out of PGI mainstreaming activities.

Has your State/National Society/Institution been working with other partners to implement the commitments contained in this resolution?

Partner with:
Government and/or public authorities
ICRC/IFRC
Other National Red Cross or Red Crescent Societies
Humanitarian and development partners (e.g. UN, NGOs etc.)
Academia

Examples of cooperation:

Through the GLOW Red network, Swedish Red Cross has worked with Movement partners (National Societies, the IFRC and ICRC) to increase the representation of women from different backgrounds at all decision-making levels within the RCRC Movement, including in governing bodies and management positions. This has been done through Governance leadership trainings, offering coaching and mentoring to women leaders/future leaders, advocacy work, investing in research on diverse and inclusive leadership, etc. The Swedish Ministry of Foreign affairs has been supporting Swedish Red Cross’ work with the GLOW Red network since 2020.

Through GLOW Red, Swedish Red Cross has also invested in research on How Diverse Leadership Shaped Responses to COVID-19 Within the International Red Cross and Red Crescent Movement, in partnership with the Humanitarian Advisory Group (HAG), the IFRC and the ICRC. The research paper Strategies that support women leaders in aid organisations was conducted in collaboration with the French Red Cross Foundation.

SRC has always been engaged in the development of the previous gender, then gender and diversity, now known as Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI) approach and portfolio at global, regional, and country level within the Movement. The PGI portfolio has provided an enabling environment for the resolution implementation.

Furthermore, the SRC systematically aligns with the IFRC Protection, Gender, and Inclusion Policy and Operational Framework 2022-2025, providing technical and financial support to partnering NS in their PGI approach. The framework prioritizes empowerment and leadership, offering equal opportunities in access, participation, and capacity building for staff and volunteers. This includes leadership development, through targeted training, mentorship, and career pathways for both women and men of all ages and diverse backgrounds.

SRC has been providing financial and technical support for partner NS to be able to conduct PGI Organizational assessment to self-identify areas for improvement at three levels, 1) institutional, 2) program and operations and 3) advocacy, partnerships, and learning. Additionaly, SRC has supported the revision of the IFRC emergency PGI toolkit and content of IFRC PGI surge training in Nairobi and Europe, along with the development and capacity building of PGI regional networks in Europe and Africa.

Have you encountered any challenges in implementing the commitments contained in this resolution?

With challenges on:
Human resources
Funding constraints
Lack of leadership support
Competing priorities
Lack of capacity and/or support (technical, financial, or other)

Details about challenges:

The commitments in the resolution are Movement-wide and it takes collective efforts on all levels to achieve gender-parity by 2030. The challenges that have been experienced are around coordination, prioritization and ownership within the RCRC Movement and state parties to the Geneva Conventions.

Globally, in the RCRC Movement there are several initiatives taking place to foster gender equality at an organizational and operational level, however, these could have been better coordinated. There is also a need for investment and prioritization within the Movement and in each separate organization, to set aside time and resources for coaching and initiatives to foster diverse and inclusive leadership.

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the work and direction of your State/National Society/Institution?

Type of Impact:
Cooperation between Government/public authorities and National Society has been strengthened
Partnerships with other humanitarian actors have been created or enhanced
Increase in mobilization of resources
Training and capacity of staff and volunteers has increased (for National Societies)

Details about the impact:

The commitments in the resolution enabled a partnership between the Swedish Red Cross and the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, who financially supports the work of GLOW Red funding since 2020.

Furthermore, partnerships have been established by the GLOW Red with;
– The Humanitarian Advisory Group
– French Red Cross Foundation
– The International Coaching Federation
– The Humanitarian Coaching Network
– Avvartes – leadership and organization support

Have the commitments contained in this resolution had an impact on the communities that your State/National Society/Institution serves?

Description of the impact:

The commitments in the resolution are mainly focused on strengthening the RCRC Movement partners, such as National Societies, the IFRC and ICRC, by becoming gender equal and inclusive in decision-making. As such, the impact on the communities we serve has not been measured. However, we know from research that more diverse and inclusive leadership teams will lead to more inclusive decisions and will to a larger degree consider the needs of people with different capacities and capabilities.

For example, this was found in one of the research pieces produced by the GLOW Red network, in partnership with the Humanitarian Advisory Group, the IFRC and ICRC, called “How diverse leadership shaped responses to Covid-19 within the international Red Cross Red Crescent Movement”.