Women play an outsized role in the care economy in the Arab States, performing 4.7 times more unpaid care work than men – the highest female– to–male ratio anywhere in the world.

This report assesses the gendered impact of the Great March of Return in the Gaza Strip, with a particular focus on the direct and indirect impact on women and girls and their access to services. The report focuses on the types and impacts of victimization, gender roles and responsibilities, resources, participation and power, capacities and vulnerabilities, and assistance and services. It also provides a set of recommendations for humanitarian actors, governmental institutions, non-governmental organizations and international actors.

Through six case studies from Gaza, this report illustrates the imperative of integrating gender into the understanding of the impact of the humanitarian situation on Palestinians in Gaza and in providing aid that is responsive to their distinct gendered circumstances and needs.

The Gender Alert: Needs of Women, Girls, Boys and Men in Humanitarian Action in Palestine (2020) is developed to inform the 2021 Humanitarian Needs Overview (HNO) and Humanitarian Response Plan (HRP) . The Gender Alert provides robust multisectoral analysis with a focus on gender specific vulnerabilities. For the first time, the structure of the Gender Alert mirrors the structure of the HNO, in that it is divided into three sections, by consequences of the crisis, also called critical problems. Each section includes a thorough multisectoral analysis of vulnerable groups, which are the same identified vulnerable groups of the HNO.

This brief suggests that domestic violence has increased in Palestine due to the conditions created by the COVID 19 pandemic, which in most cases resulted in a lockdown of survivors of violence with their abusers. With families in lockdown, helplines are seeing a surge of cases requesting a multitude of services.

This brief highlights emerging evidence of the impact of COVID-19 crisis on the access of women victims and survivors of violence to justice and security services in Palestine. It makes recommendations to be considered by all sectors of society, from governments to international organizations and to civil society organizations, in order to ensure that perpetrators of violence against women are held accountable, and victims’ right to protection, remedy and reparation are maintained.

Based on preliminary data collection, surveys and meetings that UN Women had with more than 30 women-led organizations and woman leaders in the West Bank and Gaza, the report warns that the pandemic is expected to disproportionately affect women, create and exacerbate pre-existing gender-specific risks and vulnerabilities and widen inequalities.

This guidance note ensures the full inclusion of women’s rights in all aspects of decision-making during the COVID-19 emergency and addresses gender-specific vulnerabilities to be undertaken by all relevant government institutions, in partnership with civil society and the private sector, so that the emergency situation does not exacerbate existing gender inequalities in Palestine.

Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, UN Women Palestine Office conducted a flash online survey on the impact of COVID-19 on women-led MSME's employing up to 95 employees. The online survey was administered between 17-27 March 2020. In total, 301 women entrepreneurs from the West Bank and Gaza responded to the survey. The infographic report shows a summary of 301 women respondents across Palestine.

Across every sphere, from health to the economy, security to social protection, the impacts of COVID-19 are exacerbated for women and girls simply by virtue of their sex. This policy brief explores how women and girls’ lives are changing in the face of COVID-19, and outlines suggested priority measures to accompany both the immediate response and longer-term recovery efforts.

This brief highlights emerging evidence of the impact of the recent global pandemic of COVID-19 on violence against women and girls. It makes recommendations to be considered by all sectors of society, from governments to international organizations and to civil society organizations, in order to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls, at the onset, during, and after the public health crisis, with examples of actions already taken.

A two-page fact sheet providing an overview of UN Women Palestine office's “Women’s Economic Empowerment through Decent Work”.

A two-page fact sheet providing an overview of UN Women Palestine office's “Gender Equality in Humanitarian Action and Crisis Response”.

A two-page fact sheet providing an overview of UN Women Palestine office's “Ending Violence against Women in Palestine”.

A two-page fact sheet providing an overview of UN Women Palestine office's “Advancing the Women, Peace and Security Agenda in Palestine”.

In the oPt and around the world, there is an increasing recognition amongst humanitarian actors of the urgency to ensure that the different needs of women, girls, men and boys are taken into account and included in all humanitarian assistance (design, planning, implementation and monitoring). Failure to do so hampers an effective humanitarian response and may put beneficiaries’ lives at risk1. According to IASC Gender Handbook for Humanitarian Action2, integrating gender equality also reinforces a human rights-based approach to humanitarian action which improves programming by respecting and protecting the universally recognized rights and dignities of every individual as a human being. Incorporating gender equality in humanitarian action therefore enhances the impact of humanitarian strategies and interventions.

This document is an assessment of ‘Protection, Response and Preparedness to Address Needs of Displaced and Vulnerable Women in Gaza', funded by Japan. The findings of the assessment are that the Cash for Work intervention was assessed to be highly relevant and to have achieved its objectives. The women beneficiaries clearly appreciated the cash for work opportunities, the elevated social status they gained, the level of autonomy and the additional freedom to make their own decisions regarding household expenditure.

This report assessed the services of all five centers/shelters (Mehwar Centre, Nablus Safe Home, the Jericho shelter, the Hayat Centre and Aman Centre (Safe Home) in Gaza) that offer anti violence services to women survivors of violence against women (VAW) in Palestine. The assessment includes the role of the National Government in institutionalizing the centers’ sheltering services and coordinating their services within the national strategies on eliminating violence against women.

UN Women has analysed the text of approved NAPs-WPS from Iraq, Jordan and Palestine, to highlight good practices and draw lessons from them. As other countries in the region are set to develop their own action plans, and NAP-WPS countries begin to develop a second generation of NAPs, this paper seeks to guide and inform the future NAPs-WPS in the region - to provide good practice on action oriented text to address the range of conflict related issues that affect women and girls.

The major drivers of humanitarian vulnerability in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt) remain unchanged.