The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) kicks off on Monday, June 2, in Geneva, Switzerland. WEDO will be joining partners from the Women and Gender Stakeholder Group of the UNDRR’s Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism to advocate for gender to be considered in all aspects of the Global Platform.
What is the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction?
The Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GPDRR) is the main global forum to assess and discuss progress on the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The Sendai Framework was adopted on 18 March 2015. Its goal is to prevent new disasters and reduce existing disaster risk . This requires an all-of-society engagement and partnership.
This year, the eighth session of the GPDRR will be organized by the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR) and hosted by the Government of Switzerland.
What is the link between gender, climate change, and disaster risk reduction (DRR)?
Women, girls, and gender-diverse people are disproportionately affected by disasters and compounding risks, including those driven by climate change, biodiversity loss, and conflict. These impacts are not accidental, they are the result of systemic gender inequalities that persist across all sectors and levels of governance. From higher mortality rates during disasters to longer recovery periods and deepening poverty, women and girls continue to bear the brunt of risk, with the effects compounded for those facing intersecting forms of marginalization, such as Indigenous women, women working in informal economy, rural women, women with disabilities, older women, and women in displacement or conflict settings.
Despite evidence of their leadership and critical role as first responders, knowledge holders, and community organisers, women remain underrepresented in decision-making processes in disaster risk reduction (DRR) and resilience-building. Gender-blind policies and investments continue to dominate DRR planning, failing to reflect the differentiated needs, contributions, and priorities of women and girls. Decision-making spaces, including national disaster management authorities, ministries responsible for humanitarian affairs, and global funding mechanisms, are still largely inaccessible to women, especially those from grassroots and frontline communities.
The participation, leadership, and knowledge of women and girls are central to preventing and recovering from disasters. This is why we cannot build resilient global communities without their leadership.
What are feminists calling for at GPDRR?
WEDO is co-leading the engagement of the Women and Gender Stakeholder Group (WGSG) within the Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism of the GPDRR. The WGSG is open to any gender advocates and organizations working on the intersection of gender equality and disaster risk reduction.
As the international community gathers for the Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction 2025, the Women and Gender Stakeholder Group asserts that equitable, inclusive, and transformative DRR cannot be achieved without the full, equal, and meaningful participation of women and girls in all their diversity.
We call upon the United Nations Office of Disaster Risk Reduction and its member states to:
- Address structural inequalities revealed by disasters;
- Institutionalize the Sendai GAP with resources and capacity;
- Advance feminist financing mechanisms for resilience;
- Anchor DRR in human rights frameworks;
- Promote women’s leadership and participation in DRR governance;
- Invest in gender-responsive capacity building for DRR;
- Recognize, leverage and reward women’s caregiving roles and local knowledge;
- Institutionalize sex, age, and diversity-disaggregated data collection;
- Mandate comprehensive gender analyses in all DRR strategies; and
- Translate international framework commitments into local action.
READ THE FULL brief on priorities, policy asks, and needed accountability mechanisms.
Participate with us at GPDRR 2025
EVENT | Implementation of Climate & DRR Gender Action Plan at National Level: SYNERGIES & STRATEGIES
2 June 2025, 15:30–16:30 Geneva local time
EVENT | Global Gender Champions and Experts Meeting: Strengthening Gender-Responsive Disaster Risk Reduction and Climate Resilience
3 June 2025, 18:00-20:00 Geneva local time
EVENT | Reporting of outcomes from Prep days
4 June 2025, 09:00-09:45 Geneva local time
EVENT | Catalysing governance solutions for disaster and climate-related displacement
5 June 2025, 11:00 – 12:30 Geneva local time
EVENT | PROGRESS ON IMPLEMENTING THE GENDER ACTION PLAN FOR THE SENDAI FRAMEWORK
6 June 2025, 14:30 – 16:00 Geneva local time
About the Women and Gender Stakeholder Group
The Women and Gender Stakeholder Group (WGSG) is one of the 15 groups coordinated under the Stakeholder Engagement Mechanism (SEM), engaging in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. The membership of the WGSG is open to any gender advocates and organizations working on the intersection of gender equality and disaster risk reduction. The group is convened by the Women’s Environment and Development Organization (WEDO) and Action Aid. To join the WGSG, fill in this registration form.
For more information about the GPDRR 2025 or the Women and Gender Stakeholder Group, contact Mishy Singano at: Mmwanahamisi@wedo.org.
