Outcome APA_D_1.6

The UN regional development and humanitarian architecture strengthens collective and coordinated action to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in its planning, resourcing and partnerships, in development and crises-affected contexts.

In 2024, the UN Women ROAP made important progress in our efforts to promote UN action to advance gender equality and women's empowerment (GEWE) through collective and coordinated initiatives, under the regional development and humanitarian architecture. The ROAP realized significant gains in its leveraging of UN system-wide accountability tools to advance GEWE in our advocacy with, and technical support to UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to enable them to raise their levels of ambition when it came to their strategic frameworks, programming and resources, as well as in their partnerships and advocacy. Access to global good practices was provided through our virtual toolkit ( https://asiapacific.unwomen.org/en/focus-areas/un-system-coordination/toolkit-for-unct-swap-gender-equality ). As a result, by the end of 2024, UN Women ROAP was able to report that all UNCTs in the region had conducted comprehensive assessments of the UNCT SWAP gender equality scorecard at least once (with Afghanistan and Bhutan for the first time). Additionally, ROAP leveraged our co-leadership of the Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) on Promoting Human Rights, GEWE and Disability Inclusion, to promote regional inter-agency collaboration to reinforce the importance of the UN’s normative mandate and the collective accountability of UNCTs. Through the IBC, ROAP co-facilitated inter-agency capacity building initiatives to equip UNCTs to integrate GEWE as a guiding principle in developing their next Common Country Analyses (CCAs) and UN strategic cooperation frameworks (China, Indonesia and Malaysia). However, more is needed to address uneven and/or inconsistent UNCT-wide commitment to advancing GEWE. ROAP will work with our Headquarters and offices to capitalize on the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP) in 2024, to see UNCTs more committed and accountable to GEWE. Also, under the IBC and together with ESCAP, UN Women ROAP co-convened the Asia-Pacific Ministerial Conference on the Beijing+30 review, held between 19-21 November 2025, with support from the rest of the UN system. The convening attracted over 1,000 in-person participants, including representatives from 50 governments, regional inter-governmental bodies, UN entities, and over 600 civil society representatives, and members of academia, and private sector. In the lead up to this event, a regional synthesis report was compiled – drawing from the national review reports submitted by ESCAP member state i.e. Charting new paths for gender equality and empowerment: Asia-Pacific regional report on Beijing+30. review s. A total of 49 reports were received from ESCAP member states i.e. 48 members and 1 associate member i.e. Cook Islands. Additionally, to ensure the effective engagement of civil society and youth, a two-day Civil Society Forum (CSO Forum) was held- and a one-day Young Feminist Forum, attended by over 300 representatives and 120 representatives, respectively. ROAP also co-convened regional consultations ahead of the CSW 68, together with other UN entities, ESCAP on the Priority Theme i.e. “Accelerating the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls by addressing poverty and strengthening institutions and financing with a gender perspective”. Held between 6-7 February 2024, it brought together 34 governments, and over 60 civil society organizations, private sector entities, and academic institutions, and 8 UN entities. Through this, stakeholders came up with a set of recommended actions, addressing systemic issues keeping women and girls in poverty; how to promote gender-responsive economic and social policies to advance green and caring economies, and gender-responsive financing for development. Moreover, through the Asia-Pacific UNiTE Working Group (WG) that is co-led by ROAP, UN entities were provided with a platform for capacity development support, tools, resources, and data, which considerably advanced coordinated and gender-responsive collective UN action, aligning with system-wide accountability. UNiTE WG members were also encouraged to share and coordinate evidence-based joint-UN interventions with a broader audience, as seen in their active participation in the Sexual Violence Research (SVRI) Conference, the Beijing +30, and the 16 Days of Activism events. During the reporting period, UN Women actively advanced the integration of gender-responsive strategies within humanitarian coordination across the Asia-Pacific region, primarily by serving as co-chair and secretariat of the Asia Pacific Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (AP GIHA WG). In this role and through strategic collaboration with UN agencies and international non-governmental organizations (INGOs), UN Women effectively leveraged the diverse leadership within the group. This leadership ensured strategic continuity and enhanced accountability and innovation in promoting GEWE. Key to these efforts was the launch of the WE Respond Dashboard , which marks an advancement in mapping and enhancing the visibility of nearly 100 women-, girl-, and LGBTQ+-focused organizations across the region. The dashboard not only serves as a crucial resource for real-time data but also enhances the institutional capacity to effectively utilize this information, leading to better-targeted and more responsive interventions that address the specific needs of women and girls in crisis situations. Furthermore, under the umbrella of AP GiHA WG, UN Women has been instrumental in developing Pre-Crisis Gender Briefs for the Philippines and, next in line, for Nepal and Bangladesh, effectively integrating gender perspectives into humanitarian planning. This initiative ensures that the specific needs and vulnerabilities of women and girls are addressed in emergency preparedness and response planning. Complementary to these efforts, UN Women conducted Rapid Gender Assessment training and hosted sessions on "Gender and Climate Finance," further embedding gender perspectives in critical humanitarian and disaster response sectors. Moreover, working in partnership with the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), UN Women under Regional Cash Working Group, led a review focused on gender responsiveness for drought anticipatory actions in Cambodia, Vietnam, and the Philippines. This review produced important evidence-based insights into how women and marginalized groups can be effectively engaged in these frameworks. Additionally, the impact of this sustained coordination work is evident in other key areas, such as the UNOCHA Regional Humanitarian Snapshot, which has prioritized cash support for women-headed households in Bangladesh —reflecting collaboration with the UN Women country office, including the Regional and National GIHA Working Groups. Similarly, the inclusion of a gender perspective in Mongolia’s Humanitarian Response Plan is a result of persistent and dedicated regional efforts. In addition, UN Women's engagement with the Inter-Agency Coordination Groups for Resilience (IBC-R) has effectively reinforced the integration of gender-responsive approaches into disaster risk reduction initiatives across the Asia-Pacific. These groups, led by UNFPA, UNDRR, and UN Women, have been active in operationalizing the Gender Action Plan (GAP) under the Sendai Framework. The specialized training sessions and workshops conducted have improved the technical capacities of regional specialists and United Nations Country Teams (UNCTs), enabling them to operationalize gender-responsive frameworks more effectively.

The UN regional development and humanitarian architecture strengthens collective and coordinated action to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in its planning, resourcing and partnerships, in development and crises-affected contexts.

In 2023, the regional office for the Asia and Pacific (ROAP) made good progress in strengthening collective and coordinated action to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment by working with the Regional Architecture to strengthen the development of Common Country Analyses (CCA) and Cooperation Frameworks (UNSDCF) of UN Country Teams (UNCTs) as part of the Peer Support Group (PSG) and as part of the Issue-Based Coalition (IBC) on Human Rights, Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment (HR-GEWE) to build capacities of UNCTs to mainstream gender into CCA/UNSDCF development and programming. ROAP contributed to ensuring that UNCTs including the Gender Theme Groups (GTGs) and Resident Coordinator Offices are equipped to advance on gender -responsive coordinated and joint actions in line with the existing UN system-wide accountability frameworks in the region. As result of technical and coordination support from ROAP, the Cambodia UNSDCF mainstreamed gender across all outcomes and outputs. Further, the Papua New Guinea (PNG) UNSDCF have adopted a standalone outcome on GEWE. Global good practices were made available for use by the UNCTs through a virtual toolkit and also opportunities to directly learn from others were created for supported UNCTs to improve their performance. Capacity of 22 UNCTs of the Asia Pacific region was built on UNCT-SWAP gender equality scorecard and UNCT-Gender Equality Marker. Efforts to share good practices are further collected through the Virtual Toolkit for the UNCT SWAP: link: https://unsdg.un.org/sites/default/files/2023-12/2023%20UNCT-SWAP%20Gender%20Equality%20Scorecard%20Technical%20Guidande%20FINAL%20unedited%20version%2020%20Nov%202023.pdf . In the humanitarian sphere, ROAP contributed to strengthening the regional development and humanitarian architecture of the United Nations (UN), with a particular focus on gender equality and women's empowerment. In 2023, ROAP made valuable developments in reinforcing the UN's regional development and humanitarian architecture, with a specific focus on gender equality and women's empowerment. Their leadership and collaborative efforts played an essential role in enhancing collective and coordinated action across the region, particularly in development and crisis-affected contexts. One of the strategic undertakings of ROAP was their leadership role in co-chairing the Asia Pacific Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (AP GIHA WG). This contributed to making discussions and actions towards more gender-responsive humanitarian practices within the region. The organization of the national GIHA co-chairs meeting in Bangkok was a landmark event. It brought together key stakeholders to address strategic issues, share best practices, and enhance capacity for gender-sensitive humanitarian response. An important aspect of their work was the development and finalization of Gender Alert Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). These SOPs provided a foundational framework for organizations to integrate gender considerations into their humanitarian efforts effectively. Alongside this, UN Women ROAP's initiative in mapping women-focused organizations and updating the regional GIHA website significantly improved networking and visibility. These efforts were pivotal in creating a more cohesive and informed network of organizations working towards gender-sensitive humanitarian action in a collaborative manner. The capacity building was a key focus in 2023. It organized a series of webinars and training programmes tailored to local and women-led organizations. These initiatives helped to enhance preparedness and response capabilities, focusing on aspects like contingency planning and Rapid Gender Analysis. Such programmes not only equipped organizations with necessary skills but also fostered a sense of community and shared purpose among diverse groups working in the humanitarian sector. Collaborations with other UN agencies, working groups and national/international NGOs, such as UNICEF, UNFPA, Care International and GBVIE WG, demonstrated UN Women ROAP's commitment to a multi-faceted approach to humanitarian response. These partnerships focused on creating comprehensive maps of women-led organizations, developing advocacy materials on intersectionality in humanitarian response, and integrating principles of Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse (PSEA) and Accountability to Affected Populations (AAP) into preparedness plans. These efforts were instrumental in promoting a more inclusive and equitable humanitarian response framework. Another step was the enhancement of the regional GIHA WG webpage on ReliefWeb. By transforming it into a central knowledge hub for gender-responsive humanitarian action in the Asia-Pacific region, ROAP ensured that valuable resources and best practices were readily available to a wide audience. The contribution to the 2023 IBC regional report ‘ Review of Climate Ambition in Asia and the Pacific. Just transition towards regional net-zero climate resilient development ’ was another notable contribution. By emphasizing the integration of gender perspectives into climate policies, UN Women ROAP aligned its efforts with international agreements such as the Paris Agreement and the UNFCCC Lima Work Programme. This highlighted the intersectionality between gender issues and climate action and disaster risk reduction, advancing the discourse in this critical area. In disaster risk reduction, the report highlighted the growing challenges posed by the changing glacial landscape in the Pamir-Hindukush-Himalaya Glaciers region requires integrated efforts involving climate change mitigation, adaptation strategies, and comprehensive disaster risk reduction plans.

The UN regional development and humanitarian architecture strengthens collective and coordinated action to advance gender equality and the empowerment of women in its planning, resourcing and partnerships, in development and crises-affected contexts.

In 2025, UN Women continued to demonstrate thought leadership and advance its UN system coordination mandate on gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE). It supported UN system partners at regional and country levels to strengthen shared understanding of global normative standards among governments, civil society and the private sector. At the regional level, UN Women provided leadership at the 12th Asia-Pacific Sustainable Development Forum (APSDF), reviewing SDG progress—including SDG 5—with ESCAP and UN agencies, and highlighting key challenges, good practices and emerging innovations. As co-chair and secretariat of the Asia-Pacific Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) Working Group, UN Women promoted more coherent, gender-responsive humanitarian planning and improved women-led organizations’ access to coordination and financing mechanisms. This increased their engagement with the Asia-Pacific Regional Humanitarian Pooled Fund and strengthened their visibility and legitimacy within inter-agency systems. The Regional Office supported UN Country Teams (UNCTs) to advance system-wide accountabilities, including ensuring marginalized and at-risk women and girls are not left behind through improved availability and use of gender statistics. UN Women also positioned itself as a key actor in strengthening UNCT capacities on gender-responsive artificial intelligence (AI). In humanitarian action, it advanced stronger integration of gender equality across preparedness, response and anticipatory action. Through regional advocacy with Resident Coordinators and collaboration with UN Women presences and UNCTs in Bangladesh, Cambodia, India, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, China, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam, nine Member States committed to state-led actions under the Beijing+30 Action Agenda launched at CSW69. These commitments reinforced priorities on women’s leadership, ending violence, poverty eradication, gender-responsive digital transition, women, peace and security, and disaster risk reduction. In 2025, five UNCTs (Brunei Darussalam via Malaysia, India, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Viet Nam) and all UN Women presences received technical guidance on CEDAW reporting and UNCT Confidential Reports. Accessible visual knowledge assets were produced to highlight UN engagement entry points across CEDAW and UPR cycles. UN Women strengthened UN system accountability by equipping UNCTs to meet requirements under the Gender Equality Acceleration Plan (GEAP), UNCT-SWAP Scorecard and Gender Equality Marker (GEM). Region-wide GEAP briefings were provided to Resident Coordinators and UNCTs in China, the Philippines and Mongolia, supported by practical guidance and a CGEP consultant roster already used by Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam. UN Women led UNCT support to integrate normative principles across Common Country Analyses, UNSDCFs and programming. UNCTs in Bhutan, China, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Timor-Leste and Viet Nam received training on human rights-based approaches, GEWE, leave no one behind, gender-responsive monitoring and reporting and the GEM. Through comprehensive assessments in China, Indonesia, Thailand and Timor-Leste, and annual reporting, UN Women reinforced UNCT-SWAP Scorecard accountability across 25 UNCTs. In Sri Lanka, UNCT training contributed to a revised results framework increasing gender-sensitive indicators from 32 per cent to 60 per cent. A major system-wide result was scaling the UN Women AI School as a gender-responsive AI upskilling and standard-setting platform across Asia and the Pacific. Aligning UN entities, Resident Coordinator Offices and UNCTs around responsible, gender-inclusive AI use, the initiative reduced fragmented approaches to AI in programming, policy support and communications. In 2025, the AI School reached 3,854 participants and provided specialized capacity-building across 20 UN entities and initiatives, including FAO, UNICEF, UNFPA, UNHCR, UNESCO, UNEP, ILO, IOM, UNDP, ESCAP, RCOs, UNITAR, UNDRR, UNV, UNFCCC, UN DCO and others. Tailored bootcamps supported UNCTs in India, Pakistan, Nepal, Papua New Guinea and Thailand to apply shared safeguards and practical AI workflows for joint analysis, drafting and knowledge management while keeping GEWE central to digital transformation. The model was recognized in system-wide platforms such as UN 2.0 Week and the UN Innovation Group. UN Women also strengthened joint programming. Under the DFAT-funded UN Joint Programme on GBV Prevention in Southeast Asia with UNFPA, and through the EU-funded PROTECT project, ASEAN institutions, Member States and civil society were supported to shape priorities for the End-Term Review of the ASEAN Regional Plan of Action on Ending Violence against Women (2016–2025) and the new RPA (2026–2035), with stronger focus on prevention, intersectionality and disability inclusion. As an Executive Member of the UN Network on Migration for Asia and the Pacific, UN Women co-led efforts to strengthen gender-responsive migration governance, supporting effective participation of women’s rights advocates in the Second Asia-Pacific Regional Review of the Global Compact for Migration. In collaboration with UNFPA and the UN Women Knowledge and Partnerships Centre in the Republic of Korea, a regional technical working group on technology-facilitated violence against women measurement was established, convening data producers from over 15 countries. In partnership with the World Bank, UN Women established and co-chairs an Expert Group on implementing the System of Economic and Environmental Accounts (SEEA) from a leave no one behind perspective. In 2025, the group drafted recommendations to adapt national accounts methodologies to assess environmental and economic contributions of different population groups, informing global SEEA revision and contributing to the Beyond GDP agenda. UN Women’s work in Asia and the Pacific is being carried out in an increasingly complex and constrained operating environment. System-wide cost-containment measures have resulted in reduced investment in gender equality and women’s empowerment expertise, limiting technical capacity at a time when demand for normative, coordination and programmatic support remains high. These measures have also affected UN Women’s operational capacity, requiring a greater reliance on remote and online modalities to deliver support to countries across the region. At the same time, a growing pushback against GEWE and women’s rights has further complicated the landscape. This is reflected in shifting government positions, declining and more unpredictable funding, and a more cautious internal climate within parts of the UN system. Together, these factors present significant challenges to sustaining momentum and advancing transformative progress on gender equality in the region.