Investing in women means investing in solutions for peace and progress

Unequal access to jobs and finance. Limited access to education and healthcare. Exclusion from decision-making. Risks of gender-based violence.

Women all over the world face these challenges, but even more so in countries facing fragility, conflict, and violence (FCV) where restrictive gender norms are often amplified and entrenched.

In FCV settings, women and girls are often seen as passive victims. They are also agents of change. And as FCV grows worldwide, women’s leadership is needed more than ever.

Crises can create openings for positive change. Opportunities arise to reconfigure social norms, empower women through new roles and responsibilities, and address discriminatory patterns during post-conflict reconstruction. This means a more balanced perspective – one that reflects women and girls’ agency – is necessary.

In fragile contexts, the World Bank aligns its new Gender Strategy with its FCV Strategy — using gender initiatives to address gender inequalities and tackle the root causes of fragility and conflict. We have made great strides in recent years but can do better.

First, we have doubled down on financial commitments, especially related to creating economic opportunities for women: From 2017–2022, 605 projects in FCV-affected countries were approved. Of those, 70% supported gender investments to bolster women’s health, education, and skills; remove constraints for more and better jobs; break down barriers to women’s ownership of and control over assets; and enhance women’s voice and agency.

Second, we have forged partnerships to deliver basic services and address gender inequalities in fragile settings, helping mitigate some of the worst possible outcomes. The Yemen Emergency Crisis Response Project (YECRP) is a case in point. Funded with $800 million from the International Development Association, it is designed to protect human capital and preserve local service delivery institutions and the national social protection system with a focus on closing gender gaps. With YECRP funding, the United National Development Programme and UNICEF are delivering services to communities, including cash assistance to over 684,000 women, nutrition services to 678,000 mothers and children, and temporary jobs for 90,000 women.

Third, we are making efforts to protect livelihoods and “rebuild better” to achieve resilient, inclusive, and sustainable recovery from conflict. Our FCV Strategy highlights the importance of women’s leadership to achieve impact. In South Sudan, we are assisting internally displaced populations through the South Sudan Women’s Social and Economic Empowerment Project. By providing essential social and livelihood skills for women and girls, supporting women to grow their businesses, and offering GBV services, the project is addressing the specific challenges limiting South Sudanese women from realizing their potential. 

Still, there is work to do to realize our ambition.  To guide our work on gender in FCV settings,  we have developed a new Approach Paper on Advancing Gender Engagement and Addressing Gender Inequalities in FCV and a thematic policy note on Increasing Gender Equality in FCV. Both initiatives support the implementation of the FCV and Gender Strategies. The evidence and experience suggest that four areas merit partners’ and our close attention in promoting gender equality in FCV settings:

1. Recognizing how gender and FCV dynamics affect each other. Investing in better understanding of the gender-FCV relationship will improve context-specific initiatives to advance gender equality in FCV countries. Gender equality in FCV settings requires a comprehensive understanding of the political, cultural, and power dynamics shaping the policy arena, along with tailored solutions for each FCV context.
   
   
2. Engaging women and girls as change agents. Women often have deep insights into the dynamics of conflict. Involving women in conflict prevention initiatives can help identify and address issues before they escalate into violence. Peacebuilding outcomes usually last longer when women are engaged in the process.
   
   
3. Seizing windows of opportunity to transform social norms. Working on gender equality in conflict-affected countries can be challenging due to deep-rooted sensitive customs, gender norms, and traditions. Yet opportunities may arise to empower women through new roles and responsibilities during post-conflict reconstruction. We should actively seek these opportunities to help fragile countries to remove entrenched norms that hinder women’s well-being and prospects.
   
   
4. Understanding and addressing how gender interacts with other sources of exclusion. FCV settings tend to surface and reinforce other sources of discrimination such as class, race, and religious beliefs. This intersectionality between gender and fragility may further worsen the situation of some of the most disadvantaged women and girls. To avoid limiting the impact of our interventions on promoting gender equality in FCV settings, we must identify and assess such compounding factors of discrimination and disadvantage.

These four dynamics play out across FCV contexts worldwide, where the challenges of addressing gender inequalities are daunting. Yet progress is possible through sustained commitment, innovative approaches, and inclusive partnerships. Empowering women and girls not only fulfils their fundamental rights; it contributes to peace, stability, and progress.