UNHCR Gender audits and the Global Compact on Refugees

Partners: UNHCR Geneva, Australian National Committee on Refugee Women (ANCORW), and Asia Pacific Refugee Rights Network (APRRN), Shaza Al-Rihawi, Azizah Noor, Apajok Biar, Hafsar Tameesuddin, Melika-Sheikh-Eldin, Najeeba Wazefadost, Tina Dixson, Cheery Zahau and Andrea Ayala.

Funded by: UNHCR Geneva and DFAT

FMRN members: Linda Bartolomei and Eileen Pittaway 

Project description: In this project, which commenced in 2017, ­a team from the UNSW Forced Migration Research Network, working alongside women from diverse refugee backgrounds, undertook a gender audit approach to support the development of strong gender focus in the development and implementation of the Global Compact of Refugees. This gender audit process documents the discussion of AGD and sexual and gender-based violence, with a particular focus on women and girls, in High Level Meeting of UNHCR to review progress made in implementing commitments made in the GCR.  These involve member states, UN agencies, civil society and other actors, and combines the findings into a comprehensive report with recommendations.

The initial gender audit informed the development of a 3.5-year project to support implementation and monitoring of the gender commitments in the GCR in five countries in the Asia pacific: Refugee women: key to the global compact on refugees. This action research project was funded by the Australia Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade, and provided additional resources and support to the work of the team. The project continues in 2021.

Resources:

Gender Audit 2021:

Gender Audit 2020:

Gender Audit of the 2019 preparatory meetings for the Global Refugee Forum:

Gender Audit of the 2017/2018 Thematic Meetings and High Commissioner’s Dialogue:

Cross-cutting resources: Snapshots of measures to address Gender Inequality, from the UNSW/UNHCR Gender Audit team: