Ensuring Haitian women’s participation and leadership in all stages of national relief and reconstruction

A gender shadow report of the 2010 Haiti PDNA:

This report aims to scale-up women’s participation in recovery and reconstruction of Haiti and asserts that gender equality principles must guide all aspects of disaster mitigation, response and reconstruction. It is a response to Haiti’s National Plan of Action, the blueprint guiding reconstruction efforts and resource allocation, based on a Post-Disaster Needs Assessment (PDNA), resulting from a two month process led by the Government of Haiti and involving more than 250 people from the United Nations, the World Bank, the European Union and the Inter-American Development Bank, but failing to address gender dimensions of Haiti’s proposed strategies for reconstructing macroeconomic, social, environmental policies, as well as infrastructure and governance.

The report calls for urgent actions, including: (i) the allocation of dedicated funds, which promote and protect women's human rights and strengthen gender equality, including support for rebuilding and strengthening the capacity of key gender equality actors in Haiti, including the Ministry of Women's Condition and Rights, the women's movement and networks; (ii) the dedication of special measures to ensure women and particularly heads of households are driving and benefiting from private sector and livelihood initiatives as well as infrastructure support, which include as well women's priorities for schools, housing, markets, and shelters that increase the security and safety of women; (iii) the participation of gender equality experts and advocates in all sectors from sanitation to agriculture and assurances that the priorities, needs and voices of women are visible and supported in all sectors; and (iv) the introduction of gender equality markers and other gender responsive budgeting tools.

The coalition members who filed this report include: Equality Now, Gender and Disaster Network, Groots International, Huairou Commission, Lambi Fund of Haiti, MADRE, Observatoire sur le développement régional et l'analyse différenciée selon les sexes (ORÉGAND), Poto Mitan: Rebuilding Haiti Initiative, Women’s International Network of the World Association of Community Radio Broadcasters (AMARC WIN), .g+dsr among others.