While addressing gender issues in development work has a longstanding tradition, the emergency aid organizations in general have paid too little attention to the importance of gender in their programs.

UN and donor organization are increasingly aware of how gender specific programming can improve the quality of emergency aid interventions. Therefore
The Interagency Standing Committee has published a handbook called “ IASC Gender handbook in Humanitarian Action” giving humanitarian workers a tool to use.

The need for improved performance and for gender sensitive programming has sparked off joint efforts by the Norwegian Red Cross, The Norwegian Peoples Aid, Caritas, Save the Children, the Norwegian Church Aid and Norwegian Refugee Council to arrange a conference followed by a training session. Later on, in September, there will be a seminar for national staff taking place in Kenya.

On behalf of UN, NRC administers a gender capacity roster, called Gen-cap. A member from Gen-cap, Madhumita Sarkar, back from 6 month duty in Sri Lanka, facilitated the seminar. She addressed the audience at the conference as well.

The Conference had a number of excellent speaker; read more about the conference and the seminar in the attached links.

The Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affair has sponsored both events