Gemma Higgins | 1 February 2024

Summary

• The Ukraine Conflict has exacerbated risks for women and girls, including gender-based violence and economic hardship. 

• Humanitarian agencies are facing challenges in delivering gender-responsive assistance, navigating power imbalances and systemic marginalisation. 

• Future responses will require effective gender-specific interventions, collaboration with local communities, and sustaining gender-inclusive approaches for promoting equality and resilience. 

The ongoing war in Ukraine has profound consequences for the lives of millions of women and girls, exacerbating the risks of gender-based violence, sexual exploitation, and economic hardship. Conflict not only disrupts livelihoods but also intensifies poverty levels, disproportionately affecting women. Humanitarian agencies working in such conflict contexts encounter significant challenges in providing gender-responsive assistance. These challenges involve overcoming power imbalances, addressing systemic marginalisation, and navigating tensions between humanitarian principles. Despite the alignment of principles like humanity, neutrality, impartiality, and independence with gender-inclusive approaches, a needs-based strategy has limitations in tackling the root causes of gender inequality, potentially undermining the agency of those affected by the conflict. 

The challenges faced by non-governmental organisations and humanitarian agencies in delivering gender-responsive assistance are multifaceted. Overcoming power imbalances within the aid sector requires promoting the involvement of conflict-affected communities in humanitarian action. Systemic marginalisation, a key challenge, may create tensions with principles like neutrality, necessitating actions to dismantle social, political, and economic barriers hindering impartial assistance. The alignment of humanitarian principles with a gender-inclusive approach highlights the importance of tailored assistance based on gender-related disparities in accessing services and resources. However, the tension between neutrality and impartiality in contexts of systemic marginalisation establishes a precarious balance for humanitarian efforts, highlighting the complexities of addressing gender issues within conflicts. 

Forecast

• The future of humanitarian responses to the Ukraine war and similar conflicts hinges on effectively addressing gender-specific needs. 

• Gender-responsive assistance involves tackling gender-based violence, ensuring equitable access to essential services, empowering women and girls, recognising diverse needs, and engaging with local communities. 

• The success of such interventions relies on collaboration with female-led organisations and local communities to ensure an understanding concerning the unique intersectional challenges faced by different genders in conflict settings. 

• As the conflict evolves, sustaining and expanding these gender-inclusive approaches will be crucial for promoting gender equality, safeguarding the rights of women and girls, and building more resilient communities affected by the war in Ukraine. Highly likely that Erdogan’s rhetorical support for the Palestinian people continues as policy remains unchanged.