Human Rights-Based Approach to Programming - UNFPA -

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Human Rights-Based Approach to Programming-
UNFPA -

• SESSION 6
• Emergency Response

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Session Overview

• Introduction to UNFPAs work in emergency
  preparedness, humanitarian response and
  post-crisis recovery and transition
• UNFPAs general principles
• The four phases
• Natural disasters
• UNFPAs focus areas for reproductive health
• UNFPAs focus areas for gender
• UNFPAs focus areas for population and
  development
• Conclusions

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Introduction

• Central role of promoting data collection,
  reproductive health and rights, gender equality
  and womens empowerment in humanitarian
  emergencies
• Goals to build knowledge of and commitment to
• importance of gender and reproductive health and
  reproductive rights issues in crisis and
  transition
• improve technical and institutional capacities to
  incorporate principles from ICPD into emergency
  preparedness, response and recovery

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UNFPAs General Principles

• Committed to promotion and protection of human
  rights during emergency response, regardless of
  the type of emergency
• Whether political crisis, natural disaster, or
  post-conflict situation, UNFPA guided by human
  rights and principles noted in CEDAW, the ICPD
  Programme of Action, and Resolutions 1308, 1325
  and 1820 of the Security Council

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The Four Phases

• Emergency preparedness and contingency planning
• Acute emergency response
• Chronic humanitarian situations
• Transition and recovery

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A HRBA to Emergency Response

• Added value of a HRBA to emergency response
• strengthening UN and government accountability to
  affected populations
• promoting participation and inclusion, thereby
  reinforcing a culturally sensitive approach
• responding in a non-discriminatory manner to
  reduce disproportionate impact of emergencies on
  most vulnerable subpopulations

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UNFPAs Role in Humanitarian Reform

• Three elements of humanitarian reform
• cluster approach
• humanitarian coordinators
• Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF)
• UNFPA is co-responsible for three areas in
  existing clusters
• reproductive health (Cluster health)
• gender mainstreaming (Cluster Early recovery)
• prevention and response to gender-based violence
  (with UNICEF) (Protection Cluster)
• UNFPA is also a lead agency for mainstreaming
  gender across all clusters

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Accountability and Rule of Law in Humanitarian
Response

• Disseminating and sharing findings with
  rights-holders and duty-bearers
• Establishing redress mechanisms for survivors of
  sexual and other forms of violence
• Zero-tolerance policy Supporting the obligation
  of the UN to those receiving humanitarian
  assistance

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HRBA and Natural Disasters

• Applying same fundamental HR concepts and
  principles when supporting a family planning
  programme or assisting in a post-conflict setting
• Participatory and inclusive HRBA promotes
  understanding of local knowledge and traditional
  warning systemsa critical aspect of natural
  disaster response
• Be familiar with available guidelines and tools
  for natural disasters, such as the IASC
  Operational Guidelines on Human Rights and
  Natural Disasters

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UNFPAs Focus Areas for Population and
Development in Emergencies

• Collection of data on partners capacities and
  available service providers
• Rapid assessments
• Post-conflict evaluation

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UNFPAs Focus Areas for Reproductive Health in
Emergencies

• Protecting and promoting reproductive health and
  rights in emergency and post-emergency settings
• Supporting programmes to increase access,
  availability , acceptability and quality to
  emergency sexual and reproductive health services
• Reinforcing the capacities of survivors to claim
  their rights to be assisted and protected

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UNFPAs Focus Areas for Gender in Emergencies

• Protection of women and girls who are survivors
  of gender-based violence
• Supporting programmes to increase access,
  availability , acceptability and quality to
  medical, psychosocial support and legal services
• Capacity-building of womens and community
  organizations to promote and protect rights.

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Conclusion The Value Added of a HRBA in
Emergency Response (1)

• UNFPA recognizes and accounts for different
  emergency phases and types of emergencies at
  hand.
• Fundamental elements of a HRBA apply to the
  response regardless of the phase or type of
  crisis or activity.
• Challenges are raised for programming in
  emergency/chronic humanitarian situationsBUT a
  HRBA can still be implemented.

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Conclusion The Value Added of a HRBA in
Emergency Response (2)

• UNFPA supports government efforts to promote
  accountability and transparency by working with
  its partners to quickly disseminate the findings
  of rapid health and mortality assessments and
  fact-finding missions to the government and local
  organizations.
• Ensuring the inclusion and participation of local
  groups in emergency response activities helps
  UNFPA promote a more culturally sensitive
  response by providing valuable insight about the
  value systems and social hierarchies of those
  communities living in humanitarian crises.

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Conclusion The Value Added of a HRBA in
Emergency Response (3)

• UNFPA assists partners in taking steps to
  recognize and combat social stigmas and other
  forms of inequality faced by vulnerable groups
  that are often exacerbated in emergency
  situations to ensure equality and
  non-discrimination.

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Conclusion The Value Added of a HRBA in
Emergency Response (4)

• Some of the biggest challenges faced by UNFPA in
  humanitarian emergencies
• - the limited capacity and unwillingness of
  the government to commit resources to sexual and
  reproductive health and other services
• Important long-term components
• - increasing budgets for excluded groups
• - working to translate this commitment into
  available, accessible, acceptable and high
  quality services

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Conclusion The Value Added of a HRBA in
Emergency Response (5)

• UNFPA collaborates with large number of
  NGOs/CSOs, UN agencies, government offices and
  international humanitarian groups when responding
  to emergencies
• Given indivisibility, interdependence and
  interrelatedness of human rights, diverse group
  of actors are required to respond to the
  different but linked human rights that require
  protection
• Application of the key HR principles, as well as
  the 3AQ elements, can facilitate and strengthen
  UNFPAs humanitarian response work