Management Response

: Afghanistan
: 2025 - 2025 , Afghanistan (CO)
: Strategic cluster evaluation of the UN Women Afghanistan Country Office
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Afghanistan

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UN Women Afghanistan overall accepted and acknowledges all the six recommendations. As described below, the recommendations have been integrated into ongoing and future programming and into the implementation of restructuring of the office which is ongoing in 2026.
: Approved
Recommendation: Continue to leverage UN Women's triple mandate to champion Afghan women’s rights through sustained advocacy, flexible support and context-driven programming
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and reaffirms the strategic importance of UN Women’s triple mandate in Afghanistan. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has leveraged its normative, coordination, and operational functions in a mutually reinforcing manner to ensure that Afghan women’s voices, priorities, and rights remain central to humanitarian, development, and policy responses despite an increasingly restrictive operating environment. ACO has generated and utilized robust evidence through nationwide consultations, surveys, assessments, and analytical products to inform programming, policy engagement, and advocacy at national, regional, and global levels. This evidence has amplified Afghan women’s perspectives in international policy forums while supporting adaptive and context-responsive programming. Through its leadership within United Nations and humanitarian coordination mechanisms, ACO has further advanced gender-responsive policies, strengthened accountability to women and girls, and promoted women’s participation in decision-making processes. At the operational level, ACO has prioritized flexible and sustained support to women-led organizations, women-focused organizations, women’s civil society organizations, and gender equality activists, recognizing their critical role in reaching communities, safeguarding civic space, delivering services, and strengthening women’s collective action. Community-based assessments conducted through programme partners and local networks have ensured that programme design, beneficiary selection, and implementation approaches remain grounded in the diverse realities, needs, risks, and priorities of Afghan women and girls across the country. Given the continued erosion of women’s rights and participation in Afghanistan, ACO considers the continued integration of advocacy, coordination, evidence generation, and operational support essential to protecting gains, sustaining women’s leadership and agency, and ensuring that Afghan women and girls remain visible and represented in national and international decision-making processes.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Advocacy
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, Operational activities, UN Coordination
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Continue to leverage UN Women’s mandate and global advocacy platforms to champion the rights of Afghan women and girls, underscoring the importance of sustained investment across all three pillars, normative, coordination and operational, despite the challenging context. Senior Management 2027/12 Completed ACO has consistently leveraged UN Women’s triple mandate - normative, coordination, and operational - to champion the rights of Afghan women and girls despite an increasingly restrictive operating environment. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has maintained strategic investments across all three pillars, ensuring that Afghan women’s voices, priorities, and rights remain central to international policy discussions, UN coordination mechanisms, and programme delivery. At the normative level, ACO has positioned itself as the leading source of evidence on the situation of Afghan women and girls. Since late 2022, ACO has conducted regular nationwide consultations and survey exercises with women across Afghanistan, generating evidence that has informed every United Nations Secretary-General report on Afghanistan during the evaluation period. Findings and recommendations from Afghan women have also informed regular briefings to United Nations Security Council members and the Informal Expert Group on Women, Peace and Security, while contributing to the work of international human rights mechanisms, including reports of the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights in Afghanistan. At the coordination level, ACO has continued to play a leadership role within both the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) and the Humanitarian Country Team (HCT). Through its co-chairing of the Gender and Human Rights Strategic Thematic Working Group under the Afghanistan Coordination Group (ACG), ACO has ensured that Afghan women’s priorities are systematically reflected in international engagement and policy discussions. As Permanent Chair of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG), and subsequently the Operational Gender Coordination Group (O-GCG), ACO has strengthened gender accountability across humanitarian and basic human needs responses, promoted women’s participation in decision-making, and advanced nexus approaches across the response architecture. ACO has also played a leadership role in the UN system response to the restriction on Afghan women entering UN compounds that was put in place in September 2025, as co-chair of the Crisis Management Team under the UNCT, convened to coordinate the UN response in relation to advocacy with the De Facto Authorities, adaptation of UN compounds and support to the continuing engagement and wellbeing of Afghan women personnel. At the operational level, ACO has continued to partner with women-led and women-focused organizations to deliver essential services, strengthen the resilience of women’s organizations and networks, support women human rights defenders and gender equality activists, and expand women’s access to livelihoods and protection services. Through flexible funding modalities, capacity strengthening, and sustained engagement with grassroots partners, ACO has continued to support Afghan women and girls in accessing critical services and opportunities despite significant contextual constraints. These mutually reinforcing efforts demonstrate ACO’s sustained application of UN Women’s triple mandate throughout the evaluation period and underscore the continued importance of maintaining investments across normative, coordination, and operational functions to advance the rights of Afghan women and girls.
Sustain and amplify support for WCSOs, WFOs, gender equality activists by prioritizing flexible funding, fostering resilient grassroots networks and robust data collection to ensure Afghan women’s realities are elevated in international policy forums. Women’s Civil Society Unit Programme Manager (PM); Policy & Research Unit PM 2027/12 Completed ACO has sustained and expanded its support to women-led organizations (WLOs), women-focused organizations (WFOs), women’s civil society organizations (WCSOs), and gender equality activists through flexible funding, capacity strengthening, network-building, and evidence generation. During the Strategic Note period to date, ACO provided direct financial and technical support to 191 grassroots organizations, helping safeguard civic space, strengthen organizational resilience, and amplify women’s voices in an increasingly restrictive environment. ACO has also successfully leveraged its coordination and advocacy role to increase resources for women-led organizations. Through sustained engagement within the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG), ACO contributed to securing USD 5.07 million through the Afghanistan Humanitarian Fund for eight women-led organizations in 2025, representing a threefold increase compared to 2024 and a significant increase from 2023 levels. In parallel, ACO has continued to invest in robust data collection and evidence generation to ensure Afghan women’s priorities inform policy and decision-making. In 2025 alone, ACO produced and disseminated 25 gender-related knowledge products, including 14 inter-agency publications, helping elevate Afghan women’s realities and recommendations in national, regional, and global policy forums. Gender equality activists were further supported through flexible and remote protection mechanisms, peer-support platforms, and safe spaces that facilitated solidarity, collective learning, and coordinated responses to emerging challenges. These efforts demonstrate ACO’s sustained commitment to strengthening women’s movements, resilient grassroots networks, and evidence-based advocacy, in line with this recommendation.
Programme design to be grounded in continuous, participatory needs assessments to ensure relevance to evolving priorities and the lived realities of women and girls. This should inform the adaptation and integration of activities and services across thematic areas to better align with community-specific risks, constraints and opportunities. Senior Management 2027/12 Completed ACO is building on participatory and evidence-based programme design across its portfolio to ensure interventions remain responsive to the evolving priorities and lived realities of Afghan women and girls. Programme development and adaptation are informed through regular nationwide consultations with women across all 34 provinces, household and telephone surveys, humanitarian needs assessments, partner feedback mechanisms, gender alerts, and ongoing context monitoring. In addition, ACO's community-based programming model ensures that programme design and implementation are grounded in local realities. Through women-led organizations, civil society partners, and other programme partners, community-level assessments are routinely conducted to identify needs, vulnerabilities, risks, and priorities, informing beneficiary selection, activity design, and implementation approaches. These assessments help ensure that interventions respond to the specific circumstances of different communities while reaching women and girls facing the greatest barriers and vulnerabilities. ACO's has five sub-offices covering different regions of the country and under the ongoing re-structure of ACO they are playing and increasingly important role in leading programme design and implementation to ensure that regional and local realities inform programming. Partnerships with women-led and women-focused organizations strengthen outreach to marginalized populations and reinforce community ownership. Continuous engagement with partners and communities enables ACO to identify emerging risks, constraints, and opportunities and to adapt programming accordingly. This integrated approach - combining strategic evidence generation, community-level assessments, partner engagement, and ongoing contextual analysis - has enabled ACO to maintain relevant, responsive, and adaptive programming despite rapidly changing operating conditions and increasing restrictions on women and girls. As such, the recommendation has been embedded into programme design and implementation processes across the Strategic Note portfolio.
Continue prioritizing systematic, participatory data collection and widespread consultations to capture the diverse experiences and priorities of Afghan women and girls, including marginalized groups. Adapt methods to overcome mobility, literacy and access barriers. • Continue using the evidence base to inform adaptive programming in Afghanistan and amplify Afghan women’s voices in international forums and policy spaces. Strategically disseminate knowledge products within UN Women and to external stakeholders to influence advocacy, coordination and policy development. • Build on networks such as Women Community Volunteers to reach marginalized women and ensure inclusive participation. • Regularly update data collection and analysis approaches to respond to evolving risks and restrictions, safeguarding participants and the integrity of the evidence. Coordination, Access & Humanitarian Response Unit PM Policy & Research Unit PM 2027/12 Completed ACO has established a systematic and participatory approach to capture the diverse experiences, priorities, and needs of Afghan women and girls, including those facing multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization. Since 2022, ACO has conducted regular nationwide consultations and multiple rounds of data collection, including household surveys, telephone surveys, perception studies, and targeted assessments, designed to overcome mobility, literacy, access, and security constraints. The resulting evidence base is actively used to inform programme adaptation, policy engagement, and advocacy. Findings and recommendations generated through consultations have informed United Nations Secretary-General reports on Afghanistan, Security Council briefings, Human Rights Council discussions, and engagement with Member States and other international stakeholders. In 2025 alone, ACO produced 25 gender-related knowledge products, including 14 inter-agency publications, while evidence generated through ACO-supported assessments informed more than 40 policy, programming, coordination, monitoring, and reporting processes. Building on the extensive networks established through the Gender Coordination Group (GCG) and its predecessor coordination mechanisms, ACO has expanded women's participation in assessments and information gathering, including through the deployment of trained female assessment personnel and strengthened engagement with women-led organizations and community-based networks. ACO has also continuously adapted its data collection methodologies to respond to evolving restrictions and risks, including through remote modalities, community-based approaches, strengthened safeguarding measures, and enhanced risk management protocols. The establishment of dedicated Policy and Research, and Coordination and Access functions within ACO has further institutionalized these efforts, ensuring that evidence generation, knowledge management, and gender-responsive analysis remain core components of ACO’s work.
Capture and share the knowledge and experience developed since 2021 to inform gender equality strategies in Afghanistan and other restrictive contexts, while considering potential risks in dissemination. Advocacy & Comms Manager Coordination, Access & Humanitarian Response Unit PM 2026/09 Completed ACO has made significant progress in documenting and disseminating knowledge, evidence, and lessons learned from advancing gender equality in one of the world's most restrictive environments for women and girls. Since 2022, ACO has generated a substantial body of evidence through nationwide consultations, surveys, perception studies, and analytical products that document both the evolving situation of Afghan women and the implications for programming, policy engagement, and coordination. This knowledge base has been consolidated through major flagship publications, including the 2024 Gender Country Profile and the Afghanistan Gender Index, which provide comprehensive analyses of gender equality trends, institutional developments, and the impacts of restrictions imposed since August 2021. In 2025 and 2026, ACO further contributed to global understanding of the Afghan context through analytical products such as the Gender Alert on Four years of Taliban rule: Afghan women resist as restrictions tighten, the publication Five Years On: Afghan Women’s Futures at a Crossroads, and continued monitoring of the impacts of restrictions on women aid workers through the Operational Gender Coordination Group (O-GCG). Recognizing the sensitivities and risks associated with knowledge dissemination in Afghanistan, ACO increasingly applies risk-informed dissemination approaches, including publication through regional and headquarters channels where appropriate. Findings are translated into policy briefs, advocacy products, media engagement, digital campaigns, and high-level briefings to inform global policy discussions and support evidence-based decision-making. Building on these achievements, ACO will continue to systematically capture lessons learned and emerging practices from Afghanistan, strengthen knowledge sharing within UN Women and across the United Nations system, and contribute to informing gender equality strategies in Afghanistan and other restrictive contexts while ensuring that dissemination approaches remain conflict-sensitive, context-appropriate, and risk-informed.
Recommendation: Strengthen strategic partnerships, coordination and internal integration to maximize collective impact
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and recognizes that strong partnerships, effective coordination, and integrated programming are critical to maximizing collective impact for Afghan women and girls in an increasingly complex and constrained operating environment. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has invested in strengthening collaboration across civil society, humanitarian, development, and United Nations actors while promoting greater coherence within its own programme portfolio. ACO has played a leading role in convening and coordinating diverse stakeholders, including women-led organizations, women-focused organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, donors, and humanitarian actors, to strengthen collective action, amplify Afghan women’s priorities, and reinforce accountability to gender equality commitments. Through its leadership of key coordination mechanisms and its support to peer learning, coalition-building, and movement-strengthening initiatives, ACO has worked to ensure that grassroots women’s perspectives inform humanitarian, development, and policy responses at multiple levels. Internally, ACO has taken important steps to strengthen integration and coherence across thematic portfolios. In 2025, with support from Headquarters and the Regional Office, ACO undertook a programme review that informed an organizational restructuring implemented in 2026. The restructuring aims at strengthening cross-thematic collaboration, promoting more integrated programming approaches and foregrounding the role of sub-offices. ACO further recognizes the importance of strategic partnerships and collaborative programming in the context of increasing needs and constrained resources. The office will continue to strengthen partnerships, coordination mechanisms, integrated programming approaches, and opportunities for joint action to maximize collective impact and advance the rights and empowerment of Afghan women and girls.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Internal coordination and communication
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency, Partnership
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Expand structured opportunities for peer learning among WCSOs, gender equality activists, INGOs and other CSOs, leveraging existing platforms such as the Essential Services Network and facilitate cross-organizational collaboration among WCSOs, CSOs, INGOs, donors and UN agencies to reinforce accountability, avoid duplication and strengthen collective impact, ensuring that grassroots priorities inform and shape coordinated responses at multiple levels. All PMs and HOSOs 2027/12 Completed ACO has strengthened opportunities for peer learning, coalition-building, and collaboration among women-led organizations, women-focused organizations, gender equality activists, civil society organizations, INGOs, UN agencies, and donors. Through structured engagement mechanisms, ACO has fostered stronger connections between grassroots actors and national, humanitarian, and development coordination platforms, helping ensure that the priorities and experiences of Afghan women inform collective responses and decision-making processes. ACO also continues to facilitate peer learning and capacity strengthening among WCSO partners through dedicated exchanges, technical support, and communities of practice focused on organizational management, programme delivery, safeguarding, advocacy, and movement-building. Existing platforms, including the Essential Services Network, provide opportunities for ACO programme partners to exchange programming and access-focused lessons learned, strengthen referral pathways, identify good practices, and coordinate responses to emerging challenges. At the inter-agency and donor level, ACO actively engages through UNCT and humanitarian coordination mechanisms, protection coordination structures, and donor forums to strengthen coherence, reinforce accountability on gender equality commitments, and minimize duplication. As Permanent Chair of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG), subsequently expanded into the Gender Coordination Group (GCG), ACO supports convenings of UN agencies, NGOs, donors, and other stakeholders to strengthen coordination, facilitate exchanges, and promote collective action. In 2025 alone, more than 500 participants benefited from capacity development initiatives related to gender-responsive programming, negotiations, and safeguarding. These efforts have strengthened collaboration across actors while ensuring that grassroots priorities continue to shape coordinated humanitarian, development, and policy responses.
Enhance internal coordination and knowledge-sharing to improve coherence across thematic areas, especially in civil society capacity-building and embed WEE expertise within other thematic teams Senior Management 2026/12 Initiated ACO has initiated a process to strengthen internal coordination, integration, and knowledge sharing across thematic portfolios. Following a comprehensive programme review undertaken with Headquarters and Regional Office support in 2025, ACO implemented an organizational review and restructuring in January 2026 aimed at further strengthening coherence, reducing fragmentation, and promoting integrated programming approaches. As part of this process, previously separate thematic areas were consolidated into an integrated programming structure encompassing Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE), Ending Violence Against Women (EVAW), Women, Peace and Security (WPS), and Gender in Humanitarian Action (GiHA) programming. This restructuring is intended to strengthen synergies across programme pillars, facilitate joint planning and implementation, and ensure that cross-cutting approaches are systematically embedded throughout the portfolio. ACO is further investing in internal knowledge-sharing, cross-learning, and staff capacity development to strengthen technical expertise across thematic areas, including WEE, protection, localization, and humanitarian action. As implementation of the new structure progresses, ACO will continue strengthening mechanisms that promote integrated programming, coordinated delivery, and organizational learning.
Develop and implement clear internal strategies and joint planning processes to ensure that WEE is leveraged as a strong entry point for advancing protection, participation and rights for women and girls. WEE PM 2027/03 Initiated ACO recognizes Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) as both a standalone outcome area and a strategic entry point for advancing women’s protection, participation, leadership, and broader rights. To support a more integrated approach, ACO has developed a WEE Strategy that defines programmatic priorities, quality standards, and coordination mechanisms for livelihood and economic empowerment interventions across the portfolio. The strategy promotes the use of livelihoods programming as an entry point for delivering integrated services, recognizing that economic insecurity is closely linked to protection risks, exclusion from decision-making, and reduced access to essential services. Through this approach, WEE interventions are increasingly linked with psychosocial support, protection services, capacity development, social cohesion initiatives, and support to women-led organizations. The strategy is currently under review to reflect recent organizational restructuring, evolving contextual realities, and lessons learned from implementation. Going forward, ACO will continue strengthening joint planning and cross-unit collaboration to maximize the contribution of WEE programming to broader gender equality and women’s empowerment outcomes.
Advocate for the consolidation of existing gender coordination mechanisms within the UN system. Senior Management 2026/03 Completed ACO has actively promoted greater coherence and consolidation across gender coordination mechanisms within the humanitarian and basic human needs architecture, in line with the UN80 agenda and humanitarian re-set. Building on its role as Permanent Chair of the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group (GiHA WG), ACO supported the transition in 2026 to the broader Gender Coordination Group (GCG), expanding both the scope and membership of the mechanism. The GCG brings together UN agencies, international and national NGOs, women-led organizations, international financial institutions, and donors within a single platform focused on advancing gender equality and women’s participation across humanitarian and basic human needs responses. This expanded structure has strengthened coordination, reduced fragmentation, promoted consistent gender analysis and advocacy, and reinforced accountability for gender-responsive programming across sectors. Through this consolidated mechanism, ACO continues to ensure that gender equality and the priorities of Afghan women and girls remain central to coordination, planning, resource mobilization, and response efforts.
Expand the use of joint programming approaches that have proven effective to ensure scarce resources are strategically pooled and deployed. All ACO PMs 2026/12 Initiated ACO continues to pursue strategic partnerships and joint programming approaches with other UN agencies that leverage comparative advantages and make efficient use of limited resources. Building on existing collaboration across the UN system, ACO has expanded partnerships that combine technical expertise, operational reach, and complementary mandates to address the multidimensional needs of Afghan women and girls. Recent examples include the establishment of a joint programme with UNDP focused on supporting women’s economic empowerment and livelihoods, as well as ongoing collaboration with agencies including IOM, UNOPS, and UNHCR, across protection, livelihoods, humanitarian action, and service delivery. Recognizing the increasingly constrained funding environment, ACO will continue to explore opportunities to expand joint programming and collaborative financing opportunities, including through joint resource mobilization efforts with UN Habitat and with WFP to add value, strengthen sustainability, and enhance collective impact for women and girls in Afghanistan.
Recommendation: Continue to deliver high-impact, inclusive services and scale proven approaches for women’s empowerment
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and recognizes the importance of continuing to deliver high-impact, inclusive services while scaling proven approaches that advance the rights, wellbeing, resilience, and economic empowerment of Afghan women and girls. In a context characterized by increasing restrictions on women’s participation, recurring humanitarian crises, and constrained resources, ACO has prioritized adaptive, evidence-based, and partnership-driven approaches to ensure that essential services and opportunities remain accessible to those most at risk of exclusion. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has strengthened partnerships with women-led organizations, civil society organizations, UN agencies, and humanitarian actors to sustain delivery of protection, psychosocial, livelihood, and empowerment services. ACO continues to position Women’s Economic Empowerment as a pathway for advancing broader gender equality outcomes and has invested in integrated approaches that combine economic opportunities with protection, participation, and resilience-building. At the same time, ACO remains committed to supporting women human rights defenders and gender equality activists through tailored protection mechanisms and to advancing evidence-based approaches that address the structural drivers of gender inequality where operationally feasible. Recognizing the importance of maintaining flexibility in a rapidly evolving environment, ACO will continue to adapt programming, strengthen partnerships, and build on proven models to maximize impact and ensure that Afghan women and girls remain at the centre of humanitarian, development, and policy responses.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction, Women's economic empowerment
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Continue supporting CSOs in the provision of essential services such as gender-based violence response and psychosocial support through flexible, long-term support and strategic partnerships, including within the UN system. Address transport barriers to accessing gender-based violence service centres and collaborating with UN entities to establish longer-term CSO contracts for continuity and safety. Integrated Programme Unit PM 2026/06 Completed ACO has sustained support to civil society partners delivering essential services for women and girls, particularly in the areas of gender-based violence prevention and response, psychosocial support, protection, and referrals. Recognizing the increasing barriers faced by women and girls in accessing services, ACO has prioritized flexible partnership arrangements and strengthened collaboration with both civil society organizations and UN partners to maintain service continuity in a rapidly changing operating environment. To strengthen service quality and integration, ACO has expanded strategic partnerships with UN entities including WHO, UNESCO, and UNODC and has continued supporting civil society organizations delivering integrated protection services, including shelters and safe spaces for women and girls. Through participation in inter-agency coordination mechanisms, ACO also contributes to efforts to improve service coverage, identify gaps, and strengthen referral pathways. To address mobility, transport, and security constraints, ACO and its partners have increasingly adopted adaptive delivery models, including remote service provision, outreach modalities, and digital referral mechanisms that improve access for women in hard-to-reach locations while reducing operational risks. These efforts have enabled ACO to sustain essential services despite significant contextual challenges and demonstrate the continued relevance of flexible, partnership-based approaches to service delivery.
Prioritize flexible protection for gender equality activists, including direct cash assistance for safe accommodation. Policy and Research Unit PM 2026/03 Completed ACO has adapted its protection approach for gender equality activists and women human rights defenders in response to the evolving protection environment and increasing restrictions on women’s rights. Recognizing the heightened risks faced by activists, ACO transitioned from facility-based protection models to flexible, individualized, and risk-informed support modalities designed to enhance safety, agency, and confidentiality. Through trusted partners and tailored support mechanisms, ACO has provided psychosocial assistance, emergency support, safety planning, medical assistance, temporary accommodation support, and financial assistance for safe travel and relocation where required. Priority has been placed on flexible assistance that enables activists to identify and respond to their own protection priorities and evolving circumstances. ACO is further strengthening its ability to provide direct assistance through the development of Standard Operating Procedures for cash-based support to vulnerable women, including women at heightened protection risk. With the approval of an exception enabling ACO to directly engage Money Serivice Providers under LTA for direct implementation of cash-based initiatives where no relevant partner is available ACO has enhanced its flexibility in this regard. These efforts reflect ACO’s continued commitment to ensuring that gender equality activists have access to responsive and context-appropriate protection mechanisms despite increasingly restrictive operating conditions.
Expand access for marginalized women and girls, especially in remote areas, by collaborating with CSO partners. Coordination, Access & Humanitarian Response Unit PM Integrated Programming and Localization PM 2027/12 Completed Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has supported interventions targeting women affected by displacement, drought, earthquakes, poverty, disability, gender-based violence, detention, and substance use, as well as women-headed households and returnees. Programme partners conduct community-level assessments and outreach activities that help identify vulnerable populations, inform beneficiary selection, and tailor services to local needs and constraints.
Maintain WEE as a key strategy for gender equality, prioritizing initiatives with strong sustainability potential and addressing barriers to engagement. • Develop partnerships to expand livelihood programmes, informed by detailed needs assessments, and equip women with contemporary, non-traditional skills. • Provide structured peer-to-peer learning, knowledge-sharing and network-building for women entrepreneurs to strengthen fundraising and operational sustainability. WEE PM and integrated programming Unit PM 2027/12 Completed ACO continues to position Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) as a core strategy for advancing gender equality, resilience, and women’s agency in Afghanistan. Recognizing the close links between economic insecurity, protection risks, and exclusion from public life, ACO promotes integrated WEE approaches that combine livelihood support with broader empowerment and protection objectives. ACO supports women entrepreneurs through value-chain development, business incubation and acceleration initiatives, access to finance, skills development, market linkages, and engagement with private sector actors. Strategic partnerships, including with HARAKAT and UNDP, have expanded opportunities for women-owned businesses, strengthened engagement with the private sector, and promoted more gender-responsive economic opportunities and work environments. ACO also invests in peer learning, networking, and collective platforms that strengthen the sustainability and resilience of women-owned businesses. These include support to women’s business associations, women-only market spaces, trade fairs, business networks, and the Afghanistan Women’s Chamber of Commerce and Industry, which provides an important platform for networking, learning, advocacy, and market access. Through these efforts, ACO continues to strengthen both the economic and social foundations of women’s empowerment.
Continue supporting girls and women’s education, including scholarships for online and international study, recognizing its critical role in promoting economic independence. • Respond to funding cuts and increasing restrictions by advocating for continued support, emphasizing the broad societal benefits of educating women and girls. ACO Senior Management 2027/12 Completed ACO recognizes the critical importance of education for advancing women’s rights, economic empowerment, and long-term gender equality outcomes. While direct support to formal education and scholarship programmes is not a core component of ACO’s current programme portfolio, the office continues to generate evidence and advocate for the protection of girls’ and women’s rights to education. Through nationwide consultations, surveys, and analytical products, ACO systematically monitors the impacts of restrictions on girls’ and women’s access to education and documents the broader implications for gender equality, economic participation, and social development. Findings have informed advocacy products, policy dialogue, and international engagement, including publications such as Four years of Taliban rule: Afghan women resist as restrictions tighten. ACO will continue to use its normative and coordination mandates to advocate for the rights of women and girls, including access to education, while remaining within its programmatic mandate and comparative advantage.
Given limited impact and contextual constraints in Afghanistan, consider whether to discontinue efforts focused on changing gender-discriminatory social norms. Integrated Programme Unit PM 2026/12 Completed ACO partially accepts this recommendation. While operational constraints limit the feasibility of social norms programming in some geographic areas, evidence generated through ACO-supported interventions demonstrates that gender-transformative approaches can achieve meaningful results where access and enabling conditions exist. ACO continues to address the root causes of gender inequality and violence against women through evidence-based prevention approaches that combine community engagement, women’s economic empowerment, coalition-building, and social norms change. In 2024, ACO successfully piloted multiple context-adapted methodologies, including Transforming Masculinities, Zindagi Shoista, and the Gender Action Learning System (GALS), all of which demonstrated measurable improvements in gender attitudes, behaviours, and decision-making dynamics. Lessons learned by partners on the ground also demonstrate that positive community attitudes to interventions targeting women and girls play a decisive role in advocating with the De Facto Authorities where restrictions occur, underlining the importance of continuous engagement around social norms. Recognizing contextual limitations, ACO applies a differentiated approach, implementing social norms interventions where operationally feasible and adapting strategies according to local realities and access conditions. Lessons learned from successful pilots are informing ongoing implementation in multiple provinces and contributing to broader organizational learning on effective gender-transformative programming in restrictive environments.
Recommendation: Optimize operational systems, risk management and resource allocation for agile, accountable delivery appropriate for crisis contexts
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and recognizes the importance of maintaining operational systems, risk management approaches, and resource mobilization strategies that are fit for purpose in complex humanitarian and prolonged crisis contexts. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has continuously adapted its operational, programme management, and partnership approaches to respond to evolving risks, access constraints, and implementation challenges while maintaining accountability, oversight, and delivery. ACO has strengthened programme management, partner support, monitoring, reporting, and internal coordination mechanisms, while investing in more streamlined and context-appropriate approaches to partner engagement and oversight. At the same time, the office has actively engaged with Regional Office and Headquarters counterparts to share lessons learned from Afghanistan and contribute to ongoing discussions on crisis-responsive policies, systems, localization approaches, and partnership modalities. Recognizing that flexible and predictable funding is critical to effective programming in volatile environments, ACO has also prioritized Strategic Note Direct Funding and outcome-level resource mobilization approaches that support adaptability, coherence, and long-term impact. Through continuous learning, adaptive management, and active engagement in corporate policy discussions, ACO will continue strengthening operational effectiveness while contributing lessons and evidence from Afghanistan to broader organizational efforts aimed at improving programming and accountability in crisis contexts.
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Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Not applicable
Operating Principles: Oversight/governance
Organizational Priorities: Organizational efficiency
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Initiate a cross divisional review, led jointly by relevant HQ units, to assess and strengthen crisis response, operational, and programmatic policies and systems to ensure they are fit for purpose in humanitarian and prolonged crisis contexts, drawing on the issues identified in this evaluation and others. ACO Senior Management 2027/12 Completed ACO agrees with the importance of ensuring that corporate operational, programme management, and partnership systems remain fit for purpose in complex crisis environments. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has actively engaged with Regional Office and Headquarters counterparts through missions, consultations, and discussions, to identify potential operational bottlenecks and propose adaptations based on lessons learned from Afghanistan. These engagements have informed ongoing discussions related to partner management modalities, localization approaches, risk management frameworks, humanitarian programming, and engagement with grassroots and women-led organizations in restrictive operating environments. ACO has provided feedback on the practical application of corporate policies and systems, including areas where standard procedures may require greater flexibility or additional safeguards in crisis contexts. Building on these efforts, ACO will continue to contribute evidence, operational lessons, and recommendations to ongoing Regional Office and Headquarters initiatives aimed at strengthening crisis-responsive operational and programme management systems. This includes continued engagement on partner management approaches, localization mechanisms, risk management practices, and policies governing engagement with grassroots organizations to ensure that corporate frameworks remain responsive to the realities of complex humanitarian and prolonged crisis settings.
Optimize operational systems for crisis contexts: Reinforce timely fund disbursement, standardized reporting and efficient internal information flows. Clarify and document roles between Country Office, Regional Office and headquarters to support effective operations. Deputy Country Representative – Operations; and Programme Management Support Unit Manager 2026/12 Initiated ACO has taken steps to strengthen operational efficiency, accountability, and information management in response to ongoing organizational learning during the Strategic Note period. Particular emphasis has been placed on improving internal coordination, strengthening partner support, enhancing programme management oversight, and promoting more efficient information flows across the office. The strengthening of the Programme Management Support Unit (PMSU) is intended to reinforce partner management, quality assurance, monitoring, reporting, compliance, and programme governance processes. ACO has also invested in strengthening information-sharing and coordination mechanisms across programme, operations, partnerships, finance, and sub-office teams to support more timely decision-making, issue resolution, and portfolio oversight. To further strengthen accountability and reporting quality, ACO plans to continue rolling out information sessions and targeted guidance for programme partners on reporting requirements, monitoring expectations, and compliance processes. These measures have been informed directly by lessons emerging from programme implementation, partner engagement, and evaluation findings, including the need for reporting approaches that maintain accountability while remaining proportionate to partner capacities and operating realities. ACO also continues to liaise closely with Regional Office and Headquarters colleagues, including financial and programme management focal points, to facilitate timely processing of payments, strengthen understanding of corporate requirements, and support consistent application of policies and procedures. Through these efforts, ACO aims to further strengthen operational effectiveness and accountability in a complex and rapidly evolving operating environment.
Continue to enhance risk management and accountability: Strengthen monitoring and evaluation systems with contextual sensitivity, expand partner training on M&E protocols (especially for sensitive data) and prioritize investments in secure, streamlined contracting and partner management systems. Deputy Country Representative – Operations; and Programme Management Support Unit Manager 2026/12 Initiated ACO continues to strengthen risk management, monitoring, accountability, and partner oversight through a combination of systems improvements, capacity development, and dedicated partner support. Recognizing the complexity of operating in Afghanistan, ACO has adopted risk-informed approaches to programme implementation, monitoring, data management, and partnership oversight. A key priority is strengthening partner capacity in programme management, monitoring and evaluation, results reporting, risk management, and compliance requirements. Through the PMSU and thematic teams, ACO is expanding structured support to programme partners, including tailored guidance, training, coaching, and quality assurance processes aimed at strengthening implementation quality and accountability. Investments in partner management, programme oversight, and monitoring systems are intended to support both accountability and adaptive management in a highly dynamic environment. As part of broader organizational strengthening efforts, ACO will continue to identify opportunities to streamline partner management processes while ensuring appropriate fiduciary oversight, risk management, and safeguarding measures remain in place.
Secure long-term resources and Strategic Note funding: Advocate for long-term project timelines to accommodate delays and maximize training impact. In resource mobilization, emphasize the value of Strategic Note direct funding and seek to link new funding to this approach rather than donor-specific projects. Maintain transparent engagement with funding partners. ACO Senior Management 2026/03 Completed ACO has successfully positioned Strategic Note Direct Funding (SNDF) as a central pillar of its resource mobilization strategy, recognizing the importance of flexible and predictable funding in a highly volatile operating environment. In 2026, an estimated 37 per cent of ACO's non-core resources are expected to be mobilized through direct Strategic Note funding. ACO promotes outcome-level and multi-year donor contributions aligned with Strategic Note priorities, enabling greater flexibility, stronger programmatic coherence, and more adaptive responses to evolving needs and contextual changes. The office actively engages donors on the value of flexible funding modalities and consistently positions the Strategic Note as the primary framework for resource mobilization and partnership discussions. In parallel, ACO continues to advocate for realistic implementation timelines and multi-year investments that reflect the operational realities of Afghanistan and support sustainable programme outcomes. Transparent engagement with funding partners, through regular political briefings as well as programme review meetings, remains central to ACO's approach, helping maintain trust, accountability, and alignment between donor priorities and Strategic Note objectives.
Promote organizational learning: Enhance transparent communication and organizational learning on crisis contexts. Document and share lessons from Afghanistan on principled risk-taking, flexible funding and robust oversight to inform ongoing policy and procedural updates. ACO Senior Management 2026/04 Completed ACO has actively contributed to organizational learning and knowledge sharing within UN Women and the broader humanitarian and development community by documenting and disseminating lessons learned from programming in one of the world's most complex operating environments. The office regularly shares experiences and evidence on adaptive programming, localization, women’s movement-building, flexible funding modalities, innovative service delivery approaches, and gender-responsive humanitarian action through global conferences, regional learning initiatives, headquarters-led webinars, communities of practice, and inter-agency forums. Examples include ACO's participation in the Sexual Violence Research Initiative (SVRI) conference, contributions to corporate learning on Strategic Note Direct Funding, experience sharing on Women’s Advisory Group (WAG) to the HCT and engagement in Regional Office learning initiatives focused on women-led data collection and movement-building approaches. ACO also actively contributes to Headquarters and Regional Office discussions on policy and procedural improvements by sharing operational lessons and practical recommendations emerging from Afghanistan. Through these efforts, ACO supports organizational learning on principled risk-taking, adaptive management, localization, partnership modalities, and accountability in crisis contexts while helping inform ongoing policy and system improvements across the organization.
Recommendation: Continue strengthening and prioritizing the approach to building institutional resilience for women-led organizations, supporting them to secure long-term, adaptable funding and share good practices
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and recognizes that resilient, sustainable, and well-connected women-led and women-focused organizations are essential to advancing gender equality and ensuring that Afghan women and girls continue to access services, representation, and opportunities in an increasingly restrictive environment. Strengthening the institutional capacities and long-term sustainability of grassroots organizations remains a cornerstone of ACO's approach to rebuilding and strengthening the women's movement in Afghanistan. Throughout the Strategic Note period, ACO has combined flexible funding, institutional strengthening, tailored capacity development, mentoring, and coalition-building approaches to support women-led and women-focused organizations at different stages of organizational maturity. This support focused not only on programme implementation, but also on strengthening organizational systems, leadership, financial management, safeguarding, monitoring and reporting capacities, and the ability of organizations to adapt to evolving risks and constraints. ACO has further prioritized peer learning, network-building, and advocacy to strengthen collaboration among women-led organizations and increase their visibility within humanitarian, development, and donor coordination structures. Through continued investment in movement-building, flexible funding mechanisms, and institutional resilience, ACO aims to support a diverse and sustainable ecosystem of women-led organizations capable of advancing the rights and priorities of Afghan women and girls over the long term.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction
Operating Principles: Capacity development, Resource mobilization
Organizational Priorities: Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Prioritize long-term, flexible and core funding and strategic partnerships to strengthen the institutional resilience and sustainability of women-led organizations, including investment in fundraising and financial management capacities. Women’s Civil Society PM 2026/03 Completed ACO has institutionalized support to women-led and women-focused organizations through a dedicated Women's Civil Society Organization (WCSO) movement-building portfolio that combines flexible institutional funding, project-based support, structured capacity development, and long-term accompaniment. This approach recognizes that strengthening organizational resilience requires sustained investment not only in programme delivery but also in organizational systems, leadership, and sustainability. Through core grants, project grants, technical advisory support, mentoring, and ongoing monitoring, ACO supports grassroots organizations in strengthening financial management, programme implementation, safeguarding, reporting, governance, and community engagement capacities. This enables partners to maintain operations, adapt to changing circumstances, and continue delivering services and advocacy initiatives despite significant operational constraints. ACO currently implements this approach through initiatives including the Rebuilding the Women's Movement in Afghanistan Programme Phase II (2026–2028), supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC), and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF). Together, these investments provide flexible and longer-term support aimed at strengthening the resilience, sustainability, and effectiveness of women-led organizations across Afghanistan.
Building on the comparative advantage of WCSOs, the Country Office to continue to advocate for other donors to provide sustained and channel flexible support to grassroots organizations that have trusted access to marginalized groups and experience in implementing inclusive programming to ensure continuity of services for women and girls despite shrinking civic space and ongoing risks. Women’s Civil Society PM 2026/03 Completed Building on the WCSOs Phase I (2022-2025) which supported women’s organizations across Afghanistan through core and project grants, ACO is now implementing WCSOs Phase II, a 3-year project (2026-2028) which now combines a three-track funding approach: core grants for small and grass-roots partners; small project grants for community-based initiatives; and regular partner agreements for organizations that have graduated from Phase I with trusted access to marginalized groups and experience in implementing inclusive programming. This phased approach continues the structured and tailored capacity development, technical advisory support and continuous accompaniment through mentoring and monitoring to sustained institutional and programmatic growth and peer learning focused on creating collaboration spaces and a Women Leaders Fellowship to strengthen coalition-building and joint advocacy. New in this phase also is a women’s economic-empowerment component that the project intends to leverage as the most viable entry point for interventions by women’s organizations and individual women in Afghanistan. ACO will link the women’s grassroots organizations, women-owned businesses and entrepreneurs with the Herat Industrial Park and Balkh International Trade Zone to secure inclusive and safe commercial spaces and employment opportunities. This approach is grounded in the operational realities faced by women‑led and women‑focused civil society organizations, which continue to experience structural and institutional constraints that affect programme delivery, scale, and compliance. Challenges include limited access to resources, gaps in organizational systems such as financial management, procurement, safeguarding, and results‑based reporting, as well as human resource limitations that impact their ability to meet compliance standards on due diligence, risk management, and partner reporting. ACO has invested in a key knowledge product on the role of WCSOs in 2025 and also leverages the GiHA Working Group survey findings to highlight the importance of flexible and long-term support to women-led organizations in all meetings with donors and member states.
Place stronger emphasis on network-building among CSOs to expand their ability to raise funds, sustain operations and maintain collaboration. Women’s Civil Society PM 2026/03 Completed ACO has placed increased emphasis on coalition-building, peer learning, and network development as key components of its approach to strengthening the resilience and sustainability of women-led organizations. Through the Rebuilding the Women's Movement Programme and other partnership initiatives, ACO facilitates structured opportunities for organizations to exchange experiences, share good practices, strengthen collaboration, and jointly address common challenges. The programme includes dedicated peer-learning mechanisms, collaborative spaces, and a Women Leaders Fellowship designed to strengthen leadership, coalition-building, and collective advocacy. These initiatives promote horizontal learning among organizations while fostering stronger relationships across different thematic areas, regions, and organizational capacities. At the broader coordination level, ACO has leveraged the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group and its successor, the Gender Coordination Group, to strengthen the visibility, participation, and influence of women-led organizations within humanitarian coordination structures. These efforts have contributed to increased access to funding opportunities, stronger representation within coordination mechanisms, and enhanced collaboration among women-led organizations, donors, UN agencies, and humanitarian actors.
Deliver tailored and customized capacity-building approaches that align with the diverse organizational capacities and projects being implemented. Women’s Civil Society PM / Coordination and Access PM 2026/03 Completed ACO delivers tailored capacity development support that reflects the diverse capacities, priorities, and operational realities of its programme partners. Capacity strengthening interventions are informed by partner assessments and ongoing engagement and are adapted to the specific needs of organizations, thematic areas, and implementation contexts. Support provided through regular programme partnerships includes tailored training, mentoring, and technical assistance on programme management, monitoring and evaluation, safeguarding, reporting, financial management, digital security, psychosocial support, gender-based violence prevention and response, and other thematic priorities. Through the WCSO movement-building portfolio and WPHF initiatives, ACO also provides foundational organizational development support aimed at strengthening governance, institutional systems, resilience, and sustainability. Beyond direct programme partners, ACO contributes to broader capacity strengthening efforts through the Gender Coordination Group and related coordination mechanisms, providing training and technical support to women-led organizations, humanitarian actors, UN agencies, and other stakeholders on gender-responsive programming, humanitarian action, access, and protection. These efforts help strengthen organizational capacities across the wider ecosystem supporting women and girls in Afghanistan.
Ensure good practices and models for building CSO capacities are shared and adopted by all Country Office teams and even the broader UN Women organization. Programme Management Support Unit Manager 2026/12 Initiated ACO actively contributes to organizational learning within UN Women by documenting and sharing lessons learned from supporting women-led organizations in one of the world's most restrictive operating environments. Particular emphasis has been placed on generating evidence regarding flexible funding approaches, movement-building, coalition development, institutional strengthening, and capacity development models that contribute to organizational resilience. Through collaboration with the Regional Office, Headquarters, and other Country Offices, ACO has begun sharing experiences and good practices emerging from the Rebuilding the Women's Movement Programme and related initiatives. This includes contributions to regional learning events, evaluation learning series, communities of practice, and technical exchanges focused on supporting women-led organizations in fragile and crisis contexts. Within the Country Office, efforts are underway to strengthen cross-portfolio learning and harmonize selected partner capacity development approaches where appropriate. Building on existing good practices, ACO will continue promoting knowledge exchange across programme units and contribute lessons learned from Afghanistan to broader organizational discussions on effective approaches to supporting women-led organizations and civil society resilience.
Recommendation: Continue to advance principled engagement, protection and inclusive participation for all women and girls
Management Response: ACO accepts this recommendation and reaffirms its commitment to advancing principled engagement, protection, and inclusive participation for Afghan women and girls in line with UN Women’s mandate, humanitarian principles, and the United Nations' broader engagement frameworks in Afghanistan. Operating in an environment characterized by severe and evolving restrictions on women and girls, ACO has continuously adapted its approaches to safeguard women’s participation, maintain access to services, support women-led organizations, and uphold gender equality principles while managing operational and protection risks. This includes strengthening evidence generation, risk-informed programming, humanitarian and development coordination, support to women-led organizations, and investments in flexible protection mechanisms for women human rights defenders, gender equality activists, and other at-risk groups. ACO recognizes that sustaining principled engagement requires continuous analysis of access constraints, context-specific risks, and opportunities for participation at national and subnational levels. Building on existing approaches, the office will continue strengthening risk management, supporting partners to navigate restrictions, promoting inclusive and community-based approaches, and ensuring that programming remains responsive to the diverse realities and priorities of Afghan women and girls.
More detail
Description:
Management Response Category: Accepted
Thematic Area: Ending violence against women, Governance and participation in public life, Women peace and security, humanitarian action & disaster risk reduction, Women's economic empowerment
Operating Principles: Advocacy, Evidence, Data and statistics, Promoting inclusiveness/Leaving no one behind
Organizational Priorities: Normative Support, Operational activities
UNEG Criteria: Gender equality, Human Rights
Key Actions
Responsible Deadline Status Comments
Finalize and implement a clear strategy for engagement with the DFA that balances risk management with safeguarding civic space for women’s rights. ACO leadership in coordination with UNCT and DSRSG/RC/HC 2026/12 Initiated With the arrival of the new DSRSG/RC/HC in mid-2026, the UNCT has committed to review and revise the existing guidelines on engagement with the De Facto Authorities, to align global practice on engagement with DFAs not legally recognized by the UN with principled on the ground engagement with DFAs in support of operational space and continuing advocacy in support of civic space for women’s rights in line with Afghanistan’s obligations. The process has been initiated in September 2026 with review of guidance by PMT, OMT and OCHA. Within this process, UN Women will continue to play a key role in ensuring consistency with a principled approach in support of programming and service provision by women for women. This will build on UN Women’s leadership and advocacy for a principled approach to increased restrictions in Herat province, where the OCT, HAWG and OCG worked together to develop specific guidance for principled engagement in the face of increased restrictions that have been approved by the UNCT and HCT in September 2026. The development of UN-specific engagement guidelines for use across the system is being carried out in parallel with the UN Women-supported development of a Gender Engagement Strategy for the ACG and will align with the Joint Operating Principles developed by the HCT.
Continuously strengthen risk management and oversight, including transparent communication, mapping provincial variations in DFA restrictions and learning from other UN agencies’ approaches (such as closed-door advocacy and the UN’s Comprehensive Approach). ACO Senior Management 2027/12 Completed UN Women will continue to engage with other agencies in the development of Engagement Guidelines, a process which will include cross-agency learning. UN Women also continues to play a leading role, in partnership with the Humanitarian Access Working Group (HAWG) in mapping and documenting access issues, encouraging partner reporting and bringing issues to the UNCT and HCT for decision-making in support of a joint and coordinated response.
Support partners, especially WCSOs, with technical guidance, joint advocacy and safe negotiation tools to navigate DFA restrictions without compromising core principles. ACO Senior Management 2027/12 Completed ACO continues to apply a principled engagement approach in line with United Nations frameworks and guidance for operating in Afghanistan. Engagement with the de facto authorities is undertaken to facilitate access, safeguard the delivery of assistance and services to women and girls, support the participation of women in programme activities where feasible, and create space for women-led organizations and civil society actors to operate. ACO supports programme partners, particularly women-led and women-focused organizations, to navigate an increasingly restrictive operating environment through technical guidance, capacity strengthening, coordination support, and access-related advisory services. These efforts are designed to help partners maintain programming, safeguard women’s participation, and manage operational risks while upholding core gender equality principles. As Permanent Chair of the Operational Gender Coordination Group (O-GCG), ACO works closely with partners and specialized institutions to strengthen humanitarian negotiation capacities and access-related competencies. In 2026, ACO partnered with the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiation (CCHN) to provide dedicated training and peer-learning opportunities for women-led organizations, Women's Advisory Group members, and UN Women personnel. ACO has also strengthened support to programme partners through dedicated technical expertise focused on engagement with de facto authorities, facilitating Memoranda of Understanding processes, addressing access constraints, and identifying practical solutions to implementation challenges. These efforts contribute to more consistent, coordinated, and principled approaches to operating in complex environments.
Apply a standardized vulnerability matrix and intersectional analysis to guide equitable targeting and inclusive outreach. Develop and apply a standardized vulnerability matrix informed by robust intersectional analysis to guide equitable targeting across all programme components. This should include systematic tracking and responses which are tailored to the needs of underrepresented groups (e.g. marginalized women, including, persons with diverse SOGIESC and women living with disabilities) to ensure inclusive outreach and meaningful participation. ACO Senior Management 2026/12 Initiated ACO recognizes the importance of ensuring that programme targeting and outreach approaches are informed by vulnerability, exclusion, and intersectional considerations. At the same time, beneficiary selection criteria vary across programme areas depending on programme objectives, sector-specific standards, and the populations being served. ACO works through coordination mechanisms and programme partnerships to strengthen the identification and prioritization of women facing heightened vulnerabilities, including women-headed households, displaced women, returnees, women with disabilities, survivors of violence, and other groups experiencing barriers to access. The Gender Coordination Group continues to advocate for strengthened gender-responsive targeting approaches across humanitarian actors and sectors. Building on existing practices, ACO will continue exploring opportunities to strengthen the use of intersectional analysis and vulnerability considerations across programme portfolios while ensuring that targeting approaches remain appropriate to different programme objectives and contexts.
Develop and implement a clear, systematic strategy for engaging family and community members, including male allies and religious leaders, to create safer entry points for women and girls’ participation. Integrated Programming Unit PM 2026/12 Initiated ACO recognizes that sustainable participation and empowerment of women and girls often require engagement with broader community structures and influencers, including family members, male allies, community leaders, and other relevant stakeholders, where contextually appropriate and safe. Several ACO programme interventions already incorporate community engagement approaches, including initiatives focused on gender-transformative programming, prevention of violence against women, livelihoods, and social norms change. Models such as Transforming Masculinities and Zindagi Shoista have demonstrated the value of engaging men and boys alongside women and girls to support positive changes in attitudes, behaviours, and decision-making dynamics. Building on these experiences, ACO will continue assessing opportunities for safe and context-appropriate community engagement approaches that support women’s participation and access while remaining consistent with protection principles and women's rights objectives.