The IFRC network has always worked on addressing issues of violence, discrimination and exclusion as one of the key expressions of the fundamental principles of the RCRC Movement.
Over the past five years, the various ways in which these issues are addressed by the network - supported by the secretariat - have been consolidated, linked and strengthened through the development of a specialised area of work known as Protection, Gender and Inclusion (PGI), established as an strategic area of focus in the IFRC Plan and Budget in 2017. It remains a strategic priority in the current Plan and Budget, linked to Global Challenge of Values, Power and Inclusion identified in Strategy 2030.
The objective of this report is to tell the story of the development of this area of focus, outline some of the key achievements, and demonstrate the future priorities as set out in the forthcoming PGI policy and operational framework (scheduled for adoption by the IFRC governing board in March 2022).
Although this report focuses on achievements of the last five years (2016-2021), in terms of policy and strategy, it needs to be framed within the work done in the five years previously (2010-2015). The recent origins of the PGI approach lie in the IFRC’s Strategy 2020. This 10-year strategy included a Strategic Aim on "Promoting social inclusion and culture of non-violence and peace". This Strategic Aim framed the ways in which the IFRC network tackled issues of violence, discrimination and exclusion, and placed human rights clearly at the centre.
Work on this Strategic Aim led to the development of the Strategic Framework for Gender and Diversity Issues 2013-2020 and the Strategy on Violence Prevention, Mitigation and Response 2011-2020 and Child Protection Policy (2013) and the Movement Strategic Framework on Disability Inclusion.
3.1.1. Tools
The most significant and influential tool developed in the past five years is the Minimum Standards for Protection, Gender and Inclusion in Emergencies. Originally piloted in 2015 as the Minimum standard commitments to gender and diversity in emergency programming, this core tool underwent 3 years of testing in operational contexts, based on which an extensive review led to the revision of the guidance with updated content in 2019. The revised edition emphasised the interrelation between Protection, Gender & Diversity and Inclusion elements - as well as a stronger focus on SGBV, disability inclusion, and other aspects of diversity.
At the heart of the Minimum Standards is the framework of Dignity, Access, Participation and Safety (DAPS). The DAPS framework provided a simple comprehensive guide for addressing the core actions in Red Cross and Red Crescent emergency programming, based on the established common protection principles of the Humanitarian Charter and the Core Humanitarian Standards.
3.1.2. Training
Based on the minimum standard commitments, a number of trainings were developed for different audiences and different purposes. The main training originally developed was the "Seven Moves: gender and diversity in emergencies” which demonstrated how the seven fundamental principles could be applied through the guidance in the minimum standards. A simplified version based on the Dignity, Access, Participation and Safety framework was also developed for community volunteers. More thorough trainings on the minimum standards have been developed for emergency response (linked to the PGI developments in the Surge Optimisation Process), including basic training for all surge personnel, and a through and detailed training for PGI specialised staff deployed as part of surge response.
The trainings and tools have all been developed based on field experience, and tested in the field, with various piloting, testing and revising phases between 2016 and 2020. In 2021, the entire catalogue of core PGI trainings were launched after being validated, revised and new trainings created. This also includes a new online training focusing on “PGI Foundations” – with a comprehensive introduction to PGI concepts, as well a core training for all audiences, and a training of trainers for this core training (both available as classroom and remote trainings). This new set of training provides a wide choice for different audiences and situations and replaces the previous set of training materials. Approximately 1,000 people have been trained since 2015, not including those trained through dedicated PGI sessions in other trainings (IMPACT, ERU, Movement Induction Course for example).
In 2019, the PGI in emergencies toolkit was developed to accompany the Minimum Standards, providing guidance and tools on how to plan, implement and monitor those standards during an emergency response and recovery. It is a compendium of tools, which can be drawn on and adapted when required, organized in 4 chapters: 1. Overview, 2. Planning and assessment, 3. Implementation and 4. Monitoring, evaluation and reporting. The main focus is supporting the implementation of the minimum standards, but toolkit also provides guidance on essential PGI actions building on those standards, such as protection monitoring, establishing referral pathways and Case Management.
In addition to the suite of trainings on core PGI considerations, additional training and related tools have been created over the past 5 years addressing different themes, described below. All of the general PGI tools and trainings include specific activities, guidance and elements which address specific themes including SGBV (including PSEA), Child Protection, Disability Inclusion and Trafficking – for example all these elements are covered at a basic level in the PGI trainings and Toolkit for Emergencies.