Latest News
Join the Women's Participation Project at the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week!
On 7th May 2024, from 11 to 12:30 (UCT+2), the WPP Team and the Community Engagement Forum will facilitate a session on Participation and Community Engagement in Displacement: scenarios from displacement sites will be used to reflect on best practices and things to avoid when engaging with specific population groups, such as women and youth. Thanks to a panel of WPP practitioners and young persons affected by displacement engaged in NRC’s Youth participation initiatives, the session will also be an occasion to showcase existing tools that can facilitate engagement with specific population groups. The session will be hybrid: you will be able to connect online or join us in person at the CICG in Geneva. You can register for the session at the following link: https://vosocc.unocha.org/Report.aspx?page=o0t9pExuBwObtDGIoSxxxplusmLRaL8kxxxplusD1NioEmPwJzrvpvKmxmKUvVzsGAxxxequalxxxequal
WPP Review Report published
In 2023 a comprehensive review of the WPP was conducted to compile main findings from the last seven years of implementation to identify challenges, best practices and recommendations within the project. In brief, the report found that efforts to involve women in camp leadership positions were successful; targeting certain male gatekeepers to be ‘champions of change’ to other men and boys was an effective model; economic empowerment of women did enhance women's social capital and their ability to participate in their communities; but that financial and human resource constraints were recurrent challenges for WPP teams. The findings will play a role in guiding the WPP strategy going forward. To access the report, please follow this link.
Celebrating women's courage for International Women's Day 2023
8 March 2023, Geneva. Today we celebrate International Women’s Day by thanking the women participating in the Women’s Participation Project in Bangladesh, Democratic Republic of Congo, Mozambique, Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen for their endless motivation to achieving meaningful participation for women and girls in displacement settings. For the past 8 years, the WPP participants have given us their trust and courage to work together towards women’s empowerment, building the self-identified skills to grant them the confidence to raise their voices, access information, take part in daily life and become leaders. From building latrines in Malakal, South Sudan, to Women’s Committee members in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, taking part in fire safety trainings, women have never ceased to amaze us. At times going beyond conventional roles in their communities, identifying possibilities for themselves to become part of daily life during displacement in a way that feels safe for them, and continuously inspiring our teams to push boundaries and support activities that were designed by the women themselves. The Women's Participation Project (WPP) is a global initiative implemented by IOM in different displacement contexts and settings to support equitable and meaningful participation and representation of displaced women and girls. Initiated in 2016, the Project is part of the 'Safe from the Start' Initiative funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM), with WASH-WPP activities in South Sudan generously funded by the German Federal Foreign Office (GFFO). The Project has helped amplify the voices of more than 10,000 displaced women and girls in 12 countries worldwide and has contributed to mitigating the risk of gender-based violence in these locations.
3 Resources for humanitarians to empower and protect displaced women and girls against Gender-Based Violence
During 16 Days of Activism, the Women's Participation Project (WPP) renews its determination to promote inclusive strategies, methodologies, and tools that empower and protect displaced women and girls around the world from Gender-Based Violence. The project has been acknowledged for its inclusiveness in the Secretary-General Report on implementing the UN Disability Inclusion Strategy (2021). It is designed to ensure that women, adolescents, and women and girls with disabilities, who are at a heightened risk of Gender-Based Violence, are actively engaged throughout any intervention. WPP currently supports 7 IOM country missions and humanitarian practitioners worldwide. It offers practitioners three open resources to address the lack of meaningful and active participation of women in leadership structures in camp management responses and beyond, which is a social-level contributing factor to gender-based violence as indicated in the guidelines for Integrating GBV interventions in humanitarian action. The Women's Participation Toolkit: a resource that supported more than 350 humanitarians in 12 countries in designing and evaluating inclusive interventions that enhance women and girls' participation in decision-making and governance structures. This toolset was created in 2015 in partnership with the Women's Refugee Commission in coordination with the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management Cluster and has since reached more than 10,000 women and girls. The Community Coordination Toolbox: a toolkit that has helped more than 2700 humanitarians in 129 countries in facilitating the engagement of displaced women and marginalised groups in humanitarian planning and decision-making. This resource was developed by the Norwegian Refugee Council in partnership with IOM in 2020. The Community Engagement Forum: a community of practice that encourages exchanges among CCCM and other humanitarian practitioners to foster the engagement of women and communities affected by displacement within the humanitarian response. This platform was established and moderated by the Norwegian Refugee Council in 2022 in partnership with IOM. The Women's Participation Project will continue to support humanitarian professionals in empowering and engaging women worldwide through IOM missions, interagency advocacy, and coordination to help mitigate the risks of gender-based violence. The project and the resources mentioned have been made possible by the "Safe from the Start" Initiative Funded by the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration (BPRM).
Displaced women open new doors to greater participation and empowerment
Ma’rib, Yemen – There is no doubt that displacement can be one of the hardest experiences a person can endure. This is especially true for displaced women who must often take responsibility for starting over, caring for their families and advocating for longer-term peace and stability. Ahlam*, a 34-year-old mother of four young children, was displaced to Ma'rib nearly seven years ago, leaving behind not only her home but also her freedom and source of accomplishment, her career, until a new opportunity allowed her to find her voice again. Read the rest of the story featured in IOM's Regional Office for Middle East and North Africa
Women’s Participation Project & Toolkit
Women’s Participation Project
The Women’s Participation Project (WPP) was developed by IOM and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) in coordination with the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster as part of the global-level Safe from the Start initiative aimed at reducing GBV risks in camp and camp-like settings. The objective of the project is to allow CCCM practitioners to have a broader understanding of what participation is and develop strategies adapted to the context to enhance the participation of women and girls in displacement sites.
The Toolkit
The Women’s Participation Toolkit is a resource for CCCM actors working in camp and camp-like settings who recognize that to improve the safety and to mitigate the risks to gender-based violence (GBV) for women and girls, women and girls must participate in decision-making mechanisms and governance structures within the camp and camp-like settings.
Countries Roll-Out
Partners
