This study draws on three case countries – Nepal, Sierra Leone and South Sudan – to address gaps in evidence and understanding on violence against women and girls (VAWG) during post-conflict transition. It highlights the potential for state-building and peacebuilding processes to address VAWG, and the effect this has in advancing sustainable peace. This is the first time that a systematic approach has been taken to bridge the gap between VAWG and post-conflict state-building / peace-building policies and processes. The study was led by the George Washington Institute (GWI), CARE International UK and International Rescue Committee (IRC), and was conducted as part of the What Works to Prevent VAWG in Conflict and Humanitarian Crises programme, funded by UK aid.

Analytical framework brief, which is a practical tool that can be used by policy makers as a guide to designing fair, inclusive, and sustainable state-building and peace-building processes that include meaningful engagement with the issue of violence and women and girls.

This report serves as a call to action for private sector and international humanitarian actors to build on the initiative that city governments are showing in building inclusive communities for displaced populations.

Somali refugees in Kenya currently find themselves in limbo with only restrictive and impractical options available to them. The majority of these refugees are unable to return to Somalia, despite recent efforts by the Governments of Kenya and Somalia and UNHCR, due to sustained threats to their protection, safety and dignity in what continues to be a fragile post-conflict situation.

The much-anticipated Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), expected in late 2018, together with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), promise to revitalize refugee response through a multi-stakeholder “whole of society” approach. At a time when the international community is grappling with fundamental questions such as the equitable sharing of responsibility for refugees, the views and opinions of citizens in East Africa are invaluable in charting new directions.

The much-anticipated Global Compact for Refugees (GCR), expected in late 2018, together with the Comprehensive Refugee Response Framework (CRRF), promise to revitalize refugee response through a multi-stakeholder “whole of society” approach. At a time when the international community is grappling with fundamental questions such as the equitable sharing of responsibility for refugees, the views and opinions of citizens in East Africa are invaluable in charting new directions. East Africa has a long history of hosting refugee populations. Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda have experienced large influxes of displaced people from numerous conflicts around the region over the past decades. These three countries currently host more than 2.2 million refugees, with Uganda hosting 1.4 million, followed by Kenya (just under 500,000) and Tanzania (over 350,000).

The International Rescue Committee’s Emergency Watchlist 2019 highlights the countries we believe are at greatest risk of experiencing the worst humanitarian crises over the coming year.

Women are more likely to live in poorer households globally than men. Countries where this is evident are predominantly fragile or conflict-affected. In order to meet the Sustainable Development Goals and ensure no one is left behind, women’s economic empowerment must be prioritised and resourced in crisis contexts. Choices, Chances and Safety in Crisis discusses the impact of crisis on women’s economic empowerment and the limitations of recent responses. It proposes a practical model for increasing women’s safety as well as their use and control of resources in crisis contexts. It outlines the preconditions that must be met to genuinely transform harmful gender norms and empower women economically along with examples from IRC’s work. It concludes with recommendations for governments, international actors and the humanitarian sector.