Strengthening and sustaining gender-based violence (GBV) coordination in emergencies: a synthesis of practitioner-driven, globally applicable recommendations.

Abstract

INTRODUCTION: Gender-based violence (GBV) is a global public health and human rights crisis, requiring coordinated efforts to ensure effective prevention, risk mitigation, and response, particularly in emergencies. Despite policy commitments underlining the importance of addressing GBV in emergencies, funding remains insufficient, inconsistent, and poorly aligned with aid prioritisation in the changing humanitarian and global health financing landscape. This paper synthesizes evidence on GBV coordination in humanitarian and public health emergencies and presents global recommendations to inform policy and practice in the context of the ongoing Humanitarian Reset. METHODS: Using a three-phase qualitative methodology—comprising evidence synthesis, case study analysis, and a global expert practitioner consultation—we developed a framework and present strategic recommendations to strengthen and sustain GBV coordination in emergencies. RESULTS: Our findings identify seven strategic recommendations aimed at investing in, sustaining, and transforming GBV coordination efforts globally. Key investment priorities include expanding the GBV coordination workforce, including for risk mitigation, prioritizing and systematically addressing GBV within public health emergencies, and investing in information management systems and strategic research. To sustain GBV coordination, we recommend adapting funding models, diversifying financial sources, advancing national leadership and localization, and implementing context-specific coordination approaches, including at the sub-national level. Furthermore, we propose that emergencies can serve as catalysts for broader social and legal transformations that advance GBV prevention and gender equality. CONCLUSION: Rather than accepting the deprioritisation of GBV coordination as an inevitable consequence of funding reductions framed as efficiency gains, our findings underscore the critical value of maintaining a dedicated focus on GBV within humanitarian coordination. Our findings provide practical, evidence-based recommendations and a global framework for policymakers, donors, and practitioners to strengthen and sustain GBV coordination in diverse emergency contexts. Sustained progress will require collective commitment to address GBV, even as funding landscapes change, and the backlash against gender equality continues to intensify.