"The future is gender-inclusive: Global responses in crisis management and recovery"
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Vienna Discussion Forum 2020

The cartoon figures, 2 female, 1 male, of different ethnic background with a microphone

Vienna, 27 November 2020 – UNODC and UNIDO, together with the Permanent Missions of Finland, Norway and Sweden in Vienna, hosted the second annual Vienna Discussion Forum (VDF), a platform to discuss gender equality in the framework of the Sustainable Development Goals. In the context of COVID-19, this year’s event was dedicated to crisis preparedness, response and recovery efforts and the necessity for them to be gender-responsive in order not to perpetuate or exacerbate already existing inequalities.

The 2020 Vienna Discussion Forum underscored that crises have repercussions on everyone, however they often disproportionately impact women and girls due to gender inequalities. Legal barriers and detrimental social norms leave them with less access to protection, resources and opportunities.

The COVID-19 pandemic has made no exception to this, as recognized by LI Yong, Director General of UNIDO, in the event’s high-level opening ceremony: “COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities for women. Gender-responsive preparedness efforts and women at the decision-making table are prerequisites for comprehensive crisis management.”

Gender-blind responses to COVID-19 have already affected the lives of women and girls across the globe as they are exposed to increased violence (the “shadow pandemic”), are denied their basic rights to vital services, and are bearing the brunt of economic hardship and increased unpaid care responsibilities. Responses to the pandemic must not fall into the historic pitfalls of recovery efforts, which all too often have resulted in women’s needs going unaddressed and them being deprioritized. “In recovering from COVID we have the chance to bring change, if we focus on building truly inclusive and fair societies. I believe that UNODC’s work for a more just world will be essential to supporting a women-centered recovery”, said Ghada Fathi Waly, Executive Director of UNODC, in her opening remarks.

The 2020 Vienna Discussion Forum highlighted the need for concerted efforts to strengthen the integration of the principles of Human Rights, the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, the Women, Peace and Security Agenda and the commitments of the 2030 Agenda in the management of crises. Looking towards the future, Marte Ziolkowski, State Secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Norway, raised in her opening statement that “[a]n approach based on democracy, gender equality and human rights is key to fighting COVID-19 and realising the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Together, we can build back better, greener and with greater equality – ensuring that no one is left behind.”

Following the high-level opening, an interactive online panel between national, civil society and UN representatives served as a platform for exchange on gender-responsive crisis management. The panelists emphasized that it is important for crises to address the needs of women of different backgrounds and identities, i.e. senior, minority and displaced women, or women with disabilities. The importance of ensuring that accurate information on crisis measures reaches the entirety of society cannot be overstated, as the digital divide and unverified information shared on social media, often hamper comprehensive responses. Making use of dedicated toolkits and expertise on gender equality is essential for national, humanitarian and development recovery efforts.

The 2020 Vienna Discussion Forum concluded that the rights of women and girls cannot be compromised in emergencies as they are inalienable and indivisible according to Human Rights Law and the Sustainable Development Goals. The status quo must be questioned and there must be a reflection on the inequalities and detrimental practices that have fueled, exacerbated or been deepened by crises. The experts agreed that the international community has a vital role in minimizing the devastating impact of crises on populations. The mandates of UNIDO and UNODC complement each other in this regard by ensuring that gender considerations are mainstreamed in their efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda towards more resilient and inclusive societies.

Find out more about our panelists` expert opinions:

Anna Maria Bergholm Söder, Director of the Response and Operations Department, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

”We, as a government agency with a mandate both domestically and internationally, have an opportunity and a responsibility to ensure that needs, interests, vulnerabilities and capacities of women, men, girls and boys are recognised in disaster risk management regardless of which arena we are working in.”

Sirpa Rautio, Director, Finnish Human Rights Centre

“When responding to the ongoing pandemic, we must constantly keep in mind the lessons learnt from previous crises of varied nature. Responses and recovery efforts must reinforce, not weaken, the Rule of Law and respect for human rights and gender equality. The UN system has much to offer with its long experience and broad competencies, including its human rights mechanisms.”

Tareq Emtairah, Director, Department of Energy, UNIDO

"The climate crisis has differentiated effects on women and men, girls and boys - a society less vulnerable to climate change must therefore also mean a more inclusive society. UNIDO supports this goal by implementing gender-responsive adaptation and mitigation measures to promote a sustainable energy transition that leaves no one behind."

Masood Karimipour, Chief, Terrorism Prevention Branch, UNODC

“Terrorism destroys lives and livelihoods and often women pay a particularly heavy price. At UNODC, we put gender-responsive approaches central in all of our programming, whether we work with law enforcement authorities, prosecutors and judges, or with the victims of terrorism.”

Buket Bahar Dıvrak, Deputy General Coordinator, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants

“Crisis management must take an intersectional approach and address the compounded needs of women and girls of different backgrounds and identities. This means taking into account factors such as age, disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, education and economic status.”

Itonde Kakoma, Director for Global Strategy, Crisis Management Initiative (Moderator)

“The manifold set of global challenges facing humanity today and for the foreseeable future necessitate comprehensive response and recovery mechanisms, equal participation of women, and gender-sensitive approaches to crisis management.”

Summary of recommendations from the 2020 VDF

In the context of COVID-19, the event was dedicated to crisis preparedness, response and recovery efforts and the necessity for them to be gender-responsive in order not to perpetuate or exacerbate already existing inequalities. The forum culiminated the following recomendations that can be found here.

You can watch the recording of the 2020 Vienna Discussion Forum here:

Read about the 2019 Vienna Discussion Forum here and here.

For more information, please contact:

UNOV/UNODC Gender Team
unov-unodc.gender@un.org

UNIDO Office for Gender Equality and Empowerment of Women
gender-coordinator@unido.org

United Nations

Office on Drugs and Crime

"The future is gender-inclusive: Global responses in crisis management and recovery"
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Vienna Discussion Forum 2020

Anna Maria Bergholm Söder, Director of the Response and Operations Department, Swedish Civil Contingencies Agency

Sirpa Rautio, Director, Finnish Human Rights Centre

Tareq Emtairah, Director, Department of Energy, UNIDO

Masood Karimipour, Chief, Terrorism Prevention Branch, UNODC

Buket Bahar Dıvrak, Deputy General Coordinator, Association for Solidarity with Asylum Seekers and Migrants

Itonde Kakoma, Director for Global Strategy, Crisis Management Initiative (Moderator)

"The future is gender-inclusive: Global responses in crisis management and recovery"- Vienna Discussion Forum 2020

"The future is gender-inclusive: Global responses in crisis management and recovery"
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Vienna Discussion Forum 2020