The Role of Women's Rights Organizations in Humanitarian Response in Ukraine

The full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia has caused multifaceted consequences for its affected population, including exacerbated gender inequalities and vulnerabilities of marginalized groups. Women have been at the forefront of humanitarian response, volunteering, leading and participating in community groups, while women's rights organizations (WRO) have since played a vital role in providing life-saving assistance based on their strong support networks and knowledge of critical issues affecting women and girls.

The proposed paper will explore the role of WROs in leading the humanitarian response in Ukraine based on quantitative and qualitative data collected in the frameworks of recent rapid gender analyses and needs assessments in the country. A set of programmatic recommendations will be also proposed to address key issues, barriers and challenges faced by WROs when navigating the humanitarian coordination mechanisms and participating in the decision-making.