UNDP and UN Women launch COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker

UNDP and UN Women’s newly launched COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker shows the social protection and jobs response to the pandemic has largely overlooked women’s needs, the UNDP reports said.

UNDP with support from DFID and the Bangladesh government is rolling out $1.5 million in emergency support for 50,000 poor urban families. Around 1200 community workers, with full personal protection, are working on the ground to promote coronavirus prevention awareness, and distribution of hygiene packages that include soap and hand sanitizer, among poor urban households. Photo: UNDP Bangladesh/Fahad Kaizer

New York, September 28 — Most of the world’s nations are not doing enough to protect women and girls from the economic and social fallout being caused by the COVID-19 crisis, according to new data released today by UNDP and UN Women from the COVID-19 Global Gender Response Tracker.

The tracker, which includes over 2,500 measures across 206 countries and territories, specifically analyses government measures with a gender lens in three areas: those that tackle violence against women and girls (VAWG), support unpaid care, and strengthen women’s economic security.

The results signal that 42 countries, one fifth (20%) of those analyzed, have no gender-sensitive measures in response to COVID-19 at all. Only 25 countries, 12% of the world, have introduced measures that cover all three areas. These may include the provision of helplines, shelters, or judicial responses to counter the surge in violence against women and girls during the pandemic, cash transfers directly targeted at women, the provision of childcare services, or paid family and sick leave.

“The COVID-19 crisis provides an opportunity for countries to transform existing economic models towards a renewed social contract that prioritizes social justice and gender equality. This new gender response tracker can help accelerate policy reform by guiding on gaps in national efforts and funding and highlighting best practices,” said UNDP Administrator Achim Steiner.

“It’s clear that the COVID-19 pandemic is hitting women hard — as victims of domestic violence locked down with their abusers, as unpaid caregivers in families and communities, and as workers in jobs that lack social protection. The Global Tracker supports governments in making the right policy decisions by sharing good practices and monitoring progress in care policies and measures to address violence against women”, said UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka.

The new data show that governments have primarily focused their gender-related COVID-19 efforts on preventing…