As the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic continue to challenge progress around the world, it is clear that if we want to deliver health, wellbeing, and dignity for all, we need a strong gender lens on response and recovery. …

By Susan Papp, Managing Director of Policy and Advocacy, Women Deliver

This week, a whistleblower reported that women detained at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) detention facility in the United States underwent hysterectomies without their consent. Involuntary sterilization is a shameful part of a long, dehumanizing history of white supremacy and racist agendas around the world. And while the United Nations considers forced, coerced, or otherwise involuntary sterilization a violation of fundamental human rights, many governments continue to trample on reproductive rights through coerced sterilization, barriers to modern contraception, and limiting access to safe abortion.

Racist and discriminatory policies…

Women Deliver’s top tips for ensuring your annual humanitarian trend reports help drive progress for girls and women in crisis settings

At the start of each year, humanitarian organizations and news outlets share their predictions and priorities for global humanitarian efforts. From droughts and unpredictable weather to millions of displaced communities on the move, the forecasts for the new year will inevitably be important tools to help focus humanitarian efforts.

In the past, many of these reports omitted an important priority: the urgent needs of girls and women in humanitarian settings. We know that girls and women are…

Foyzun and Sunee — humanitarian workers with the World Food Programme in Cox’s Bazar — share their solutions for advancing gender equality in humanitarian emergencies

On a sunny afternoon in Cox’s Bazar, Bangladesh, a group of women congregate in an outdoor gathering space. Children dart among them, and in the middle stands Foyzun Nahar, a program officer for the World Food Programme (WFP). Foyzun comes from a rural village in south-western Bangladesh, and she’s dedicated her career to empowering girls and women.

“Being raised in patriarchal society, where discriminatory social norms are deeply rooted…my inner dream was always pushing me…

Across the world, young people are redefining what it means for them to be engaged with an issue. Today’s young leaders want full involvement in all matters that affect their lives. They want autonomy, decision-making power, and they know it’s time to act.

In the field of sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), young people’s meaningful inclusion and participation is especially pertinent. Family planning initiatives have the potential to transform relationships, education systems, communities, economies, and nations. …

The Women Deliver 2019 Conference is just around the corner!

We hope that you and your organization will join us in June at the largest conference in the world on gender equality and the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women. Under the theme “Power. Progress. Change.” we will bring together more than 6,000 world leaders, government officials, leaders from the private sector, foundations, and civil society, celebrities, academics, advocates, activists, and journalists with the drive to accelerate progress for girls and women everywhere — including an unprecedented amount of young people.

Here are ten reasons why advocates worldwide…

Across the world, one in three women will experience gender-based violence (GBV) in her lifetime, and in humanitarian settings, the number only goes up.

In the face of devastating, unjust violence, individual survivors and communities often turn to local women-focused civil society organizations (CSOs) for both immediate support and long-term community-based solutions.

Local women-focused CSOs know the context, challenges, and entry points for gender-sensitive humanitarian interventions. They work on the ground, day in and day out, with years of expertise in community-specific issues. …

Powerful movements for women’s rights, youth rights, and gender equality are emerging worldwide on an unprecedented scale. While the need to elevate women’s agency is recognized across sectors, women continue to be vastly under-represented in decision-making in politics, businesses, and community leadership.

As world leaders gathered in New York during the 73rd United Nations General Assembly, Women Deliver convened a group of distinguished panelists to discuss the barriers preventing women from entering leadership roles and to examine how we can better support the women and youth leaders of tomorrow.

One of our top takeaways was that harmful gender stereotypes continue…