Humanitarian action and disaster risk reduction: 2021 annual report

This report presents key results achieved by UN Women in close collaboration with partners across crisis and disaster contexts in 2021. Against a backdrop of more complex crises and increasing needs, the report captures UN Women’s efforts at the global, regional, and field levels in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls.

In 2021, 250 million people were in need of humanitarian assistance across 59 countries and 432 disastrous events relating to natural hazards affecting 101.8 million people were recorded. With each crisis exacerbating gender inequalities, UN Women worked with partners—including 1,486 local women’s rights and women-led organizations across crisis and disaster contexts—to improve gender-equitable outcomes for crisis-affected and at-risk women and girls.

By extending gender expertise and evidence-based gender analysis to humanitarian coordination mechanisms, providing life-saving assistance to crisis-affected women and girls, advocating for and amplifying the voices of women's organizations in crisis and disaster settings, and contributing to gender-responsive disaster risk reduction legislation, strategies, plans, and assessments worldwide, UN Women helped ensure that crisis-affected and at-risk women and girls are better served and supported.

UN Women is grateful to the donors, civil society partners, and UN agencies acknowledged in the report for their strong support in advancing gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls in some of the world’s most challenging settings.