Centering Women and Girls 

A woman receiving assistance from HIAS Romania gets a hug at the Inimă de Copil Center in Brăila, Romania on July 19, 2023. (Bill Swersey/HIAS)

Strength, Power, and Needs: Centering Women and Girls in All Their Diversity

HIAS is committed to centering women and girls in all their diversity across our global programming. We understand that women and girls are disproportionately impacted by conflict, natural disaster, and forced displacement. Working with the U.S. government’s Safe from the Start ReVisioned initiative, HIAS calls on the humanitarian community to not only add to, but change, conventional humanitarian response.

Our approach

HIAS’ approach is to share and shift power to local women and LGBTQ+ led organizations to ensure that their efforts are sustained, their advocacy messages reach decision makers, and that they remain resilient and strong in demanding gender responsive reconstruction and recovery processes.

HIAS plans to:

  • Scale existing capacity to prioritize, design, staff, and implement and coordinate GBV prevention and response programming.

  • Enhance partnerships with local and global women-led organizations (WLOs) and globally representative research institutions

  • Drive increased representation and leadership of women and girls, specifically women’s organizations, in decision-making structures and the delivery of humanitarian aid.

  • Strengthen gender mainstreaming across the organization.

  • Create a women and girls emergency fund.

A message from HIASHIAS, WRC, Local Organizations Helping Ukrainian Refugees Say Response Must Keep Focus on Women and GirlsMarch 8, 2024

Since the start of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine two years ago, women- and LGBTQ+-led civil society organizations have been at the forefront of helping people who have been displaced by the conflict, many of whom continue to be affected by gender-based violence (GBV). This month, seven women on the front lines of the humanitarian response will join HIAS and the Women’s Refugee Commission (WRC) in New York and Washington to bring their first-hand accounts to United Nations officials and other stakeholders about the war’s ongoing disproportionate impact on women and girls — and the urgent need for support for women-led initiatives in the region.

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Resources

Mar 07, 2024

NGO CSW Forum 68 Advocacy Toolkit

Mar 07, 2024

A guide that will help NGOs, civil society representatives and feminist activists build their capacity to advocate for their organization, work, and global gender equality at the CSW.

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Mar 13, 2024

Centering Women & Girls

Mar 13, 2024

HIAS is leveraging its experience, learning, leadership, and commitment to position itself as a global leader in centering women and girls across all programming.

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Impact

Women-Led Organizations Help Ukrainians Cope with War

After the full-scale war displaced millions throughout Ukraine in 2022, HIAS launched a fund supporting 20 women-led organizations to support the needs of Ukraine’s internally displaced population.

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Women-Led Organizations Help Ukrainians Cope with War

Valentyna Denysenko, (2nd from Right) head of Green-landiya; and Tetiana Chernikova (3rd from L), the organization’s co-founder; participate in discussions at the NGO’s strategic session on December 23, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Denys Ivanov/HIAS)

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