Disasters themselves do not discriminate but their impact does, whether it originates from natural hazards or a conflict. While disasters affect women, men, boys and girls differently, women often face risk factors and barriers to recovery that are created by the structures of the society rather than just the hazards themselves. This means that gender inequalities in society translate into increased vulnerability to the impacts of disasters, heightened exposure, and restricted capacity to respond and recover, while women are also widely excluded from decision-making affecting their lives and businesses.
The significant connections with the private sector mean it has the potential to play a leading role in improving the situation, providing assistance targeted to women, and at the same time pursuing its business interests through better preparedness, response and recovery. Women are also overrepresented in economic sectors hit hardest by disasters. The exclusion of women from decision-making processes, the impact of unpaid care work and gender-based violence (both of which tend to rise in disasters) on the comparatively high rate of job losses that affect women in the aftermath of disasters and on the survival and recovery of micro, small and medium-sized enterprises (MSMEs) run by women are as well essential facts to consider.
COVID-19 is a key concern also for the private sector and disaster management. The devastating effects the pandemic is having on gender equality means the time to act on gender for private sector disaster management is now. If approached correctly by the private sector and other actors that support public-private cooperation, this situation also presents a window of opportunity for understanding the connections between gender, the private sector and disaster management.
CBi is developing materials to assist the private sector in these efforts. These materials can be found centralized in this web page. More resources are to come in the next months!
To learn more about CBi’s gender work and partnering opportunities, please reach out to CBi Gender Specialist consultant: maria.kontro@undp.org
Learn more about gender in disasters through UN Women´s Infographic on Closing the Gender Gap in Humanitarian Action and Women´s Resilience to Disasters Knowledge Hub
Learn more about the gender-responsive action of the private sector in COVID 19 through the UNDP Business for Gender Equality
Para aprender mas sobre COVID-19 y género, favor visitar la página web Genera Igualdad
Follow the progress through COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker
Learn about protection against sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) in humanitarian contexts through IASC Learning Package on Protection from Sexual Misconduct (available also in French, Arabic, Spanish and Portuguese!)
Request the assistance of a senior advisor on gender equality programming in humanitarian action through GenCap
Request the assistance of a senior advisor on humanitarian protection through ProCap
11 February: International Day of Women and Girls in Science
20 February: World Day of Social Justice
1 March: Zero Discrimination Day
8 March: International Women's Day
15-26 March: New York Commission on the Status of Women CSW65 (2021)
April – May: Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week – CBi gender event
19 June: International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflict
20 June: World Refugee Day
The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides a mechanism for the Haitian private sector to support the national system for risk and disaster management and to enable businesses of all sizes to recover quickly and build forward better from crises.
As a member of the national emergency operations center, AGERCA participated in national emergency coordination meetings. They supported the General Directorate of Civil Protection in coordinating the response of the private sector, civil society and Haitian diaspora. On 14 August, following a request from the Haitian government, AGERCA provided phone credits to support information management and coordination. AGERCA also immediately started to map local private sector resources and capacities that could be mobilized to support disaster relief in cooperation with its members. In addition to financial contributions, AGERCA member companies and partners made in-kind donations of critical items including thousands of gallons potable water, clothes, solar-powered refrigerators, etc. AGERCA also posted regular situation reports and deployed a staff member to the south of Haiti to support the earthquake response in the most affected communities.
For more information, please view the press release.
For up-to-date information about the current situation in Haiti, please visit AGERCA on Twitter.
To learn more about AGERCA and how the private sector can help in Haiti, please contact Tiina Mylly, CBi Secretariat: tiina.mylly@undp.org
The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides a mechanism for the Haitian private sector to support the national system for risk and disaster management and to enable businesses of all sizes to recover quickly and build forward better from crises.
As a member of the national emergency operations center, AGERCA participated in national emergency coordination meetings. They supported the General Directorate of Civil Protection in coordinating the response of the private sector, civil society and Haitian diaspora. On 14 August, following a request from the Haitian government, AGERCA provided phone credits to support information management and coordination. AGERCA also immediately started to map local private sector resources and capacities that could be mobilized to support disaster relief in cooperation with its members. In addition to financial contributions, AGERCA member companies and partners made in-kind donations of critical items including thousands of gallons potable water, clothes, solar-powered refrigerators, etc. AGERCA also posted regular situation reports and deployed a staff member to the south of Haiti to support the earthquake response in the most affected communities.
For more information, please view the press release.
For up-to-date information about the current situation in Haiti, please visit AGERCA on Twitter.
To learn more about AGERCA and how the private sector can help in Haiti, please contact Tiina Mylly, CBi Secretariat: tiina.mylly@undp.org
The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides a mechanism for the Haitian private sector to support the national system for risk and disaster management and to enable businesses of all sizes to recover quickly and build forward better from crises.
As a member of the national emergency operations center, AGERCA participated in national emergency coordination meetings. They supported the General Directorate of Civil Protection in coordinating the response of the private sector, civil society and Haitian diaspora. On 14 August, following a request from the Haitian government, AGERCA provided phone credits to support information management and coordination. AGERCA also immediately started to map local private sector resources and capacities that could be mobilized to support disaster relief in cooperation with its members. In addition to financial contributions, AGERCA member companies and partners made in-kind donations of critical items including thousands of gallons potable water, clothes, solar-powered refrigerators, etc. AGERCA also posted regular situation reports and deployed a staff member to the south of Haiti to support the earthquake response in the most affected communities.
For more information, please view the press release.
For up-to-date information about the current situation in Haiti, please visit AGERCA on Twitter.
To learn more about AGERCA and how the private sector can help in Haiti, please contact Tiina Mylly, CBi Secretariat: tiina.mylly@undp.org
The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides a mechanism for the Haitian private sector to support the national system for risk and disaster management and to enable businesses of all sizes to recover quickly and build forward better from crises.
As a member of the national emergency operations center, AGERCA participated in national emergency coordination meetings. They supported the General Directorate of Civil Protection in coordinating the response of the private sector, civil society and Haitian diaspora. On 14 August, following a request from the Haitian government, AGERCA provided phone credits to support information management and coordination. AGERCA also immediately started to map local private sector resources and capacities that could be mobilized to support disaster relief in cooperation with its members. In addition to financial contributions, AGERCA member companies and partners made in-kind donations of critical items including thousands of gallons potable water, clothes, solar-powered refrigerators, etc. AGERCA also posted regular situation reports and deployed a staff member to the south of Haiti to support the earthquake response in the most affected communities.
For more information, please view the press release.
For up-to-date information about the current situation in Haiti, please visit AGERCA on Twitter.
To learn more about AGERCA and how the private sector can help in Haiti, please contact Tiina Mylly, CBi Secretariat: tiina.mylly@undp.org
The Alliance for Risk Management and Business Continuity (AGERCA) is an independent non-governmental organization (NGO) that provides a mechanism for the Haitian private sector to support the national system for risk and disaster management and to enable businesses of all sizes to recover quickly and build forward better from crises.
As a member of the national emergency operations center, AGERCA participated in national emergency coordination meetings. They supported the General Directorate of Civil Protection in coordinating the response of the private sector, civil society and Haitian diaspora. On 14 August, following a request from the Haitian government, AGERCA provided phone credits to support information management and coordination. AGERCA also immediately started to map local private sector resources and capacities that could be mobilized to support disaster relief in cooperation with its members. In addition to financial contributions, AGERCA member companies and partners made in-kind donations of critical items including thousands of gallons potable water, clothes, solar-powered refrigerators, etc. AGERCA also posted regular situation reports and deployed a staff member to the south of Haiti to support the earthquake response in the most affected communities.
For more information, please view the press release.
For up-to-date information about the current situation in Haiti, please visit AGERCA on Twitter.
To learn more about AGERCA and how the private sector can help in Haiti, please contact Tiina Mylly, CBi Secretariat: tiina.mylly@undp.org