Management Response

: Independent Evaluation Service (IES)
: 2026 - 2029 , Independent Evaluation Service (IES) (EO)
: Final Global Programme Evaluation: Women's Resilience to Disasters
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Independent Evaluation Service (IES)

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UN Women welcomes the final evaluation of the Women’s Resilience to Disasters (WRD) Programme and appreciates its timely assessment of results, challenges and lessons across global, regional and country levels. The evaluation provides important evidence base for shaping how gender-responsive disaster risk reduction (DRR) and climate resilience can be advanced within the framework of UN Women’s Strategic Plan 2026–2029. Management acknowledges the evaluation’s finding that WRD strengthened UN Women’s leadership in gender-responsive DRR and climate resilience, aligned with global and regional frameworks, and supported Pacific women’s participation in influential policy spaces. The evaluation also confirms WRD’s effectiveness in supporting institutional change and localisation approaches across prevention, preparedness and recovery systems. At the same time, management recognises key risks and limitations. Programme gains have relied heavily on project-funded technical expertise, and sustainability has been uneven due to one-off engagements, limited follow-up and resource constraints in scaling approaches. Management agrees with the evaluation’s identification of promising and scalable approaches, particularly the WRD programme framework and the women’s leadership model and acknowledges that integration into ongoing programmes and initiatives including UN Women’s broader development portfolio is essential. Management also notes the need to strengthen the sustainability and custodianship of the WRD Knowledge Hub and improve outreach and usability. UN Women accepts all the recommendations and commits to clarifying its corporate approach to gender responsive DRR, consolidating and embedding WRD lessons into ongoing work, simplifying programme governance and partnerships, and advancing inclusive, intersectional approaches that ensure meaningful participation of high at-risk groups in DRR planning and implementation. Where full implementation of recommendations proposed in the short- to medium-term is constrained by funding and staff turnover, management will pursue phased, realistic actions to safeguard key WRD assets, knowledge and partnerships and ensure that the programme’s legacy remains embedded across UN Women’s broader climate and resilience work.

: Approved
Recommendation: Given funding constraints and corporate priorities, UN Women should clearly define how it will support the integration of DRR and climate resilience priorities into existing programmes and partnerships, drawing on lessons from the WRD Programme. At regional and country levels, offices should embed gender-responsive DRR and climate resilience across all activities.
Management Response: Management accepts the recommendation and will support the integration of DRR and climate resilience priorities into existing programmes and partnerships, drawing on lessons from the WRD Programme. The organisation will enhance coordination across HQ, regional and country offices, consolidate WRD technical assets, clarify roles and responsibilities and provide internal guidance on DRR initiatives and programming.
More detail
Description: Ensuring the gender-responsive DRR and climate-resilience gains made through the WRD Programme continue through integration in the work of UN Women.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Alignment with strategy, Internal coordination and communication, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Normative Support, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Relevance, Coherence
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Develop a practical guide to support the design and implementation of gender-responsive DRR actions and interventions across country, regional and global programming, drawing on lessons and good practices from the WRD programme and identifying practical entry points for integration into Strategic Notes, Project Documents, PAC processes and partnerships, in alignment with the Strategic Plan 2026–2029. HQ - HA Section (lead) in consultation with RO/COs 2026/06 Not Initiated
Map existing focal points on DRR at regional and country level and ensure they are part of the Humanitarian Community of Practice, to enable regular sharing of information including tools and guidance. HQ - HA Section (lead) in coordination with ROs and priority COs 2026/05 Not Initiated
Provide a dedicated space for DRR key knowledge assets at the UN Women internal Knowledge Hub on humanitarian action. HQ - HA Section (lead) in coordination with ROs and priority COs 2026/07 Not Initiated
Ensure that periodic review of Programming Frameworks/Gender Equality Accelerator TOCs and harvesting of lessons learned are integrated into the Strategic Development Results Review, and that relevant DRR/climate thematic guidance and learning are aligned with and reflected in the corporate Programming Frameworks / Strategic Plan guidance architecture to support coherent uptake across HQ, regional and country offices. PPID Directorate (lead) in coordination with GEA leads and technical input from HA section 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women and its partners should prioritize the consolidation, integration and scaling of the most effective approaches identified, such as the women’s leadership model. In doing so, UN Women should ensure efforts are aligned with existing national systems and capacities, building on synergies with partners, to avoid reliance on stand-alone programmes. New models for community-level engagement should also be established and implemented, which prioritize continuity, local ownership and strengthened CSO capacities.
Management Response: Management accepts the recommendation and will work to integrate the most effective WRD approaches, including the women’s leadership model, ensuring sustainability and government ownership. Subject to funding, the organisation will clarify the governance of the WRD Knowledge Hub and its future resourcing. At country and regional level, UN Women will align DRR and climate resilience initiatives with national systems and ensure that effective WRD approaches are integrated into ongoing programmes to maximize continuity, local ownership and long-term impact.
More detail
Description: Sustained institutional capacity across UN Women, governments and regional mechanisms to apply gender-responsive DRR approaches. Continuity of knowledge, leadership and partnerships developed under the WRD Programme, ensuring resilience of systems beyond project cycles. Enhanced donor confidence through evidence of sustained institutional change.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Capacity development, National ownership, Knowledge management
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Effectiveness, Sustainability
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Leverage existing regional Communities of Practice and coordination platforms to strengthen alignment and knowledge exchange across HQ, regional and country offices, and to facilitate cross-learning on partnership models and programme implementation with CSO partners, including what has worked and what has not, through targeted learning sessions or webinars ensuring learning informs future programme design, governance, and delivery. Fiji MCO (lead) in coordination with RO (Regional COP on HA, DRR and CC) and HA Section. 2026/11 Not Initiated
Develop a sustainability plan for the WRD Knowledge Hub that outlines governance arrangements, hosting, content management, and potential funding sources to ensure its continued operation as a global resource for gender-responsive DRR, including pursuing strategic partnerships to support its long-term sustainability. HQ - HA Section (lead) with KM/ IT 2026/06 Not Initiated
Reflect lessons on sustainability and exit strategies from the WRD programme in relevant DRR guidance and future programme design processes, building on existing corporate programme and Strategic Note quality assurance frameworks. HA Section in coordination with SPU and PSMU 2026/12 Not Initiated
Recommendation: Regularly evaluate the value and cost-effectiveness of global programme investments and streamline governance by leveraging existing coordination mechanisms and internal assets to ensure alignment with organizational priorities and reduce complexity. At the same time, streamline programme partnership models to reduce complexity and administrative costs with the aim of improving resource flow to target groups; strengthening oversight and results-based management; and enhancing continuity and partner support.
Management Response: Management accepts this recommendation and will review its guidance on governance and monitoring and accountability of global programmes. At country and regional level, the organisation will give due consideration to local partners, building capacity where it is cost-effective and, or engage a small number of well-established women’s organisations and civil society to improve efficiency, oversight and resource flow across its global DRR and climate resilience programmes.
More detail
Description: Implementing streamlined governance and partnership models will improve efficiency, accountability and resource flow to communities.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance, Capacity development
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Efficiency
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Prioritise strategic partnerships with established women’s organisations and civil society partners to strengthen efficiency, oversight and resource flow, while maintaining inclusive and participatory engagement with a broader ecosystem of NGOs and women-led organisations through collaboration, consultation and capacity support where feasible, and also with relevant UN system partners on DRR (e.g. UNDRR, UNDP, UNFPA) to strengthen joint programming, coherence and leverage system-wide partnerships. RO/COs, with HQ (incl. Civil Society Division). 2026/10 Not Initiated
Recommendation: UN Women should continue to institutionalize and consistently invest in inclusive, intersectional approaches to DRR and climate resilience by addressing cultural and structural barriers through social norms change initiatives, engaging men, traditional leaders and community influencers. This includes building partnerships with CSOs, grassroots organizations and local governments to co-design, implement and monitor initiatives that ensure meaningful participation, empowerment and equal access to resources and leadership for marginalized groups, especially persons with disabilities, rural populations, low-income women and LGBTIQ+ communities.
Management Response: Management accepts the recommendation and will continue to strengthen the integration of human rights, Leave No One Behind (LNOB) principles and intersectional analysis across its DRR and climate resilience work, within available resources. Building on existing tools, partnerships and programme structures, UN Women will prioritise practical actions that support inclusive programme design, strengthen the use of intersectional data and analysis, and promote the meaningful participation of at-risk groups. Efforts will focus on leveraging ongoing programmes, partnerships and knowledge products to avoid additional resource burdens while reinforcing inclusive approaches in policy dialogue, programme implementation and monitoring.
More detail
Description: Leave no one behind principles institutionalized across UN Women DRR and climate-resilience programmes and partners’ DRR systems; meaningful participation of marginalized groups in decision-making; sustained partnerships and continuity in support to the most vulnerable; and enhanced leadership and resilience of marginalized women and vulnerable groups at all levels.
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Partnership, Normative Support
UNEG Criteria: Human Rights, Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Promote the collection and use of sex-, age- and disability-disaggregated data and share practical guidance and examples on inclusive DRR and climate resilience approaches, including the use of local and indigenous knowledge, through existing knowledge products and partnerships, including the dissemination and socialisation of the updated PDNA Gender guide within UN Women and with partners. HQ-HA Section, Research & Data and ROs M&E focal points 2026/07 Not Initiated
Ensure new DRR and climate resilience programmes incorporate participatory gender and vulnerability assessments and apply intersectional analysis to identify the priorities of at-risk groups, including women with disabilities, rural women and other underserved populations. CO/ROs (lead at country/ regional level) with support from HA Section. 2026/12 Not Initiated
Ensure new DRR and climate resilience programmes where relevant, integrate UN Women's new framework on addressing discriminatory social norms to challenge structural barriers to women's participation and leadership, including through shifting narratives that justify discrimination, making changes in women's lived realities and strengthening women's rights movement and building coalitions. COs (lead at country level) with support from RO and HA Section. 2026/12 Not Initiated