The United Nations in Lebanon has collaborated with the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) to launch a project aimed at reinforcing women’s participation in the response and recovery process related to the August 4 Beirut Port explosion.
The U.N. in Lebanon described the WPHF in a statement as “a flexible and rapid financing tool that supports high-quality interventions to strengthen the capacity of local women around the world to prevent conflict, respond to crises and emergencies, and seize essential peacebuilding opportunities.”
The Fund will provide financing for 6 local women’s rights organizations in Lebanon, with support from the German government.
“A quick analysis of the Beirut Port explosion from the perspective of gender equality showed that there are a large number of female-headed families living in the areas affected by the blast, and a large number of elderly women,” the U.N. statement noted.
The evaluation of the devastating incident indicated that the families headed by females, elderly people, refugees, people with special needs, and women from the LGBT community, in addition to female migrant workers, are particularly prone to poverty and food insecurity.
This, according to the U.N., is because these groups have fewer resources to repurchase or replace damaged possessions, including documents, and rebuild damaged houses, which are often rented in these cases, not to mention buy food and basic commodities.
The selection process of the 6 organizations focused on national and local women-led, women’s rights, feminist, or civil society organizations with a proven track record of working with women and girls.
“Through the work of the selected organizations, the WPHF will help improve public disaster management, establish women’s committees and platforms for dialogue, debate, and advocacy through social media, art, and academia,” the U.N. in Lebanon said.
The following are the local organizations chosen for this project:
- SEEDS for Legal Initiatives
- Haven for Artists
- Fe-Male
- Auberge Beity
- Madaniyat
- Dar Al-Amal
The project activities are expected to launch in June 2021 and end by August 2022.