Supporting Women Amid a Humanitarian Crisis: What Was Discussed at the Meeting with Tom Fletcher

A meeting was held in Kyiv between organizations working to support women and girls and Tom Fletcher, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator at the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The NGO “Responsible Citizens” was invited to the dialogue as a Women-Led Organization (WLO). The organization was represented by its Chair of the Board, Olha Kosse.

Women today are not only among those who are most affected by the consequences of the humanitarian crisis. They also play a major role in the humanitarian response itself: they lead organizations and local initiatives, work in frontline communities, support families and see people’s needs firsthand.

For “Responsible Citizens”, this is an everyday reality: around 95% of participants in our programmes and people receiving assistance are women. That is why supporting women and girls and taking their experiences into account must remain part of strategic decisions within the humanitarian system — especially now, when resources are becoming more limited while needs continue to grow.

One of the issues raised by Olha Kosse was the continuity of support during displacement.

“Assistance should follow the person, rather than become a factor that keeps them in danger. If a woman living near the frontline sees evacuation as meaning she will lose access to cash assistance, protection or support for her children and family, we may unintentionally create another reason for her to remain somewhere unsafe. It should be the opposite: when moving to a safer place, a person should not lose access to humanitarian support,” Olha Kosse stressed.

Assistance in frontline areas and support after people move to safer communities should not compete with each other. They are part of one system that should accompany people as their circumstances and needs change.

It is equally important that the space for Women-Led Organizations not be reduced during the transformation of the humanitarian response. Local organizations have direct access to communities, quickly identify changes and see a crisis not through separate sectors, but through people’s lived experiences.

For “Responsible Citizens”, dialogue with international partners is an opportunity to bring this experience to those who set priorities and allocate resources. As the humanitarian system changes, the voices of women and organizations working directly with communities must be heard more strongly. Because an effective humanitarian response begins with those who know people’s needs best.