Background

Pursuant to resolution 45/29, adopted by the Human Rights Council on 7 October 2020, the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) is preparing "an analytical report on a comprehensive approach to promoting, protecting and fulfilling women's and girls' full enjoyment of human rights in humanitarian situations at the national, regional and international levels, including good practices, challenges and lessons learned on accountability". The report will be submitted to the Human Rights Council at its forty-ninth session.

Key Inputs Sought

OHCHR would like to invite all United Nations Member States, United Nations entities, regional organizations, national human rights institutions, non-governmental organizations, humanitarian actors, independent experts of human rights treaty bodies and Human Rights Council special procedures and other relevant stakeholders to submit information for the report, including:

• Please provide information on the human rights concerns and violations that women and girls in all their diversity may face in humanitarian settings, including factors increasing their vulnerability.
• Please provide information on the different stakeholders involved in/responsible for contributing or otherwise preventing and responding to abuses and violations of the human rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings.
• Please provide information on the different accountability mechanisms that operate in your context. (E.g. judicial and non-judicial mechanisms; truth-seeking initiatives; community-based and social accountability initiatives; investigative and independent monitoring and/or reporting bodies, community complaint mechanisms; parliamentary-led oversight etc.). Please provide concrete examples of good practices and lessons learned related to the attention by these mechanisms to women and girls' human rights violations occurring in humanitarian settings.
• What are the barriers women and girls face in reporting and seeking justice, as well as protection, redress and reparations for violations of their human rights in humanitarian settings, including women and girls who face intersecting forms of discrimination?
• Please provide examples of concrete measures taken by your Government or organization to support accountability for the rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings. In the context of the humanitarian programme cycle, please provide examples of measures taken to ensure accountability in the different stages of programming (design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation).
• What challenges does your Government or organization face in supporting and ensuring accountability and implementing accessible, gender-responsive and inclusive accountability processes and mechanisms for the rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings? Please elaborate on the nature of these challenges and steps taken to address them.
• According to your Government or organization, what is required to strengthen accountability for the rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings? Please elaborate on what actors can help?
• What steps has your Government or organization taken to ensure women's and girls' access to information, agency and meaningful participation? Please provide information on specific measures taken to enhance diversity of representation of women and girls, including women human rights defenders and women-led organizations in humanitarian preparedness, response and recovery efforts. Please elaborate on any lessons learned, good practices as well as challenges faced.
• Please provide information on financial support that is provided to women human rights defenders, including women-led organizations, in humanitarian settings, as well as other local and national organizations to strengthen accountability for the rights of women and girls in humanitarian settings.

The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights would be grateful if submissions could be sent to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (Email: registry@ohchr.org, cc: mghafory@ohchr.org) by 28 June 2021.

See the note verbale (PDF) in English | Français | Español.

As much as possible, we appreciate receiving submissions:

• Limited to 5-7 pages;
• Sent by email in Microsoft Word format;
• Written in English, French or Spanish, and provided with a summary in English.

Please expressly indicate when the information provided cannot be made publicly available on this website. Any enquiries may be made to Masiha Ghafory at mghafory@ohchr.org or Ruben Brouwer at rbrouwer@ohchr.org.

Inputs received will soon be available on this page.