Mainstreaming gender within the WHO Health Emergencies Programme

Book excerpt: The WHE Gender Mainstreaming Strategy (2022-2026) aims to provide guidance on how to systemically analyze and address relevant gender issues across WHE policies and programmes, to enable WHE work to contribute to gender equity and equality, which in turn will strengthen health emergency programming at all levels. It also provides strategic direction to facilitate how WHE can respond to the specific gender-based needs and risks that women, men, girls and boys and people with diverse gender identities experience as a consequence of health emergencies, in ways that improve the design and delivery of WHE policies and programmes, and contribute to reducing gender-inequalities including morbidity and mortality but also the medium and long term socio-economic effects of emergencies. This strategy is intended to guide WHE programming across the local, national, regional and global levels. It was developed by the WHE Gender Working Group, and responds to specific recommendations included in the WHA Resolution 74.7 on Strengthening WHO Preparedness for and response to health emergencies[1], among other key documents.