IASC briefing on “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women and Girls” on 8 July, 3:00 p.m. -4:15 p.m. (GVA) / 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. (NY), online webinar

Message from the IASC secretariat

Dear colleagues,

We are pleased to invite you to an upcoming IASC briefing on “The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Women and Girls” on Wednesday, 8 July, 3:00 p.m. -4:15 p.m. (GVA) / 9 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. (NY) via online webinar.

Throughout the COVID-19 pandemic, women and women’s civil society have been critical frontline responders and leaders in humanitarian response efforts. Yet, the public health emergency has had a disproportionate impact on women and girls. COVID-19 has exacerbated pre-existing inequalities and resulted in alarming health and economic impacts for women and increased risk of gender-based violence. This webinar will explore those impacts and be an opportunity to better understand gender issues in humanitarian action through real stories on the ground, shared by expert panelists, and an interactive discussion with participants. The webinar will also explore the global, regional and field efforts to address these gender concerns, including tools such as the IASC Interim Guidance: Gender Alert for COVID-19 Outbreak, a product developed by the IASC Reference Group on Gender and Humanitarian Action.

Panelists will include the two co-Chairs of the IASC Reference Group on Gender and Humanitarian Action and two field colleagues who will speak to the gender issues in Lebanon and Bangladesh and how gender work there is being prioritized, streamlined and implemented in the context of COVID-19 and beyond.  

Moderator:

• Ms. Mervat Shelbaya, Head, Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) secretariat

Speakers:

• Ms. April Pham, Senior Gender Advisor and Head of Gender Unit for UN OCHA & co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action
• Ms. Julie Lafrenière, Gender Team Leader for the Global Humanitarian Team at Oxfam & co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action
• Ms. Razia Sultana, Rohingya human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the Rohingya Women Welfare Society (RWWS), a UNWomen partner in Cox’s Bazar
• Ms. Joane Cremesty, Gender Advisor at Oxfam, Lebanon

Dial-in details:

Webex:

• Meeting link: https://ocha.webex.com/ocha/j.php?MTID=m0af4e4da3f649ff858c7c14d042bb316
• Meeting number: 161 630 0055
• Password: 1234

Join by phone

• 1-866-469-3239 Call-in toll-free number (US/Canada)
• 1-650-429-3300 Call-in number (US/Canada)
• Access code: 161 630 0055
• Global call-in numbers | Toll-free calling restrictions

Speaker bios:

• Ms. April Pham, Senior Gender Advisor and Head of Gender Unit for UN OCHA & co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action
  • April Pham is a feminist with over 25 years of work experience in women's rights, gender equality and the prevention of violence against women and children. Her broad experience encompasses work in Viet Nam with Unifem, and in Australia with NGOs and government agencies, developing prevention policies and programs for young people, Indigenous communities, and migrant and refugee communities, as well as policy and legislative reforms to improve responses to domestic violence and sexual violence. For the past 10 years she has worked in humanitarian action, including as an inter-agency gender advisor with Humanitarian Country Teams in Sudan, South Sudan, Yemen, Ukraine, Myanmar, Turkey/Syria, Fiji and the Pacific to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in humanitarian action. 
• Ms. Julie Lafrenière, Gender Team Leader for the Global Humanitarian Team at Oxfam & co-Chair of the IASC Reference Group on Gender in Humanitarian Action
  • Julie Lafrenière is the Senior Gender Lead for Oxfam’s Global Humanitarian Team (GHT). Julie is a lawyer by training and has worked on human rights and women’s rights in Canada and internationally, with a particular focus on Gender-Based Violence in humanitarian settings. She has worked for a variety of actors, including the United Nations, international NGO networks and local civil society organizations and has published reports and policy guidance on women’s rights, GBV and Women, Peace and Security. Julie volunteers with local networks working to promote women’s rights and seeking to end the cycle of violence.

• Ms. Razia Sultana, Rohingya human rights lawyer and Executive Director of the Rohingya Women Welfare Society (RWWS), a UNWomen partner in Cox’s Bazar
  • Razia Sultana represented Rohingya people at the United Nations Security Council Open Debate on Sexual Violence in Conflict, held in April 2018. In March 2019, Sultana received the United States’ International Women of Courage Award for her work with Rohingya refugees. The award recognizes women worldwide who have advocated for peace, justice, human rights, gender and women’s empowerment, often at great personal risk and sacrifice. Razia represented Rohingya people at the International Court of Justice hearings in January 2020. Razia is a Bangladeshi citizen today and a key member of the Rohingya diaspora peace activism movement.

• Ms. Joane Cremesty, Gender Advisor at Oxfam, Lebanon
  • Joane Cremesty joined Oxfam in Lebanon in April 2020 as a Gender Advisor. She has been working in Gender-Based Violence (GBV) for the last 7 years in Lebanon, mainly with the International Rescue Committee, in providing technical support on the implementation of GBV programming with women and girls. She has developed resources and materials on the prevention and response to child marriage, and the integration of adolescent girls in non-GBV programs. She holds a Master’s degree in Violence, Conflict and Development from the School of Oriental and African Studies (University of London), and a Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Saint-Joseph University in Lebanon. She has conducted research on various themes related to gender, migration and borders. She has recently led research with the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF), focused on GBV against domestic workers and available services for them in Lebanon, Kuwait and Jordan.

More information, including background materials, can be found on the briefing webpage.

Questions can be submitted in writing during the webinar for those joining online, however we encourage you to submit questions in advance to iasccorrespondance@un.org (subject: IASC Briefing on Gender).