ANNUAL PROGRESS REPORT TEMPLATE Project Title: ME function of the Women’s Peace and PUNO(s): UN Women Humanitarian Fund Project Number: NA Reporting Period: January – December 2018 Implementing Partner(s): 1. Medical Services Pacific 2. Oxfam Solomon Islands Report submitted by: 3. Save the Children Vanuatu Subhashni Raj 4. Samoa Red Cross Society 5. FemLINKpacific Gender and Humanitarian Analyst 6. Solomon Islands Government on behalf of National Protection Committee UN Women – Fiji MCO 7. Palau Red Cross Society and Centre for Women’s Empowerment Belau 8. ADRA Fiji Project Location: Solomon Islands, Fiji, Tonga, Vanuatu, Palau, Samoa Project Description: Total Approved budget: USD $1, 994,094.80 The project supports women to meaningfully participate in humanitarian preparedness and Project Start Date: 27 April 2017 responses through (1) strengthening the capacities of local women’s organisations and women to engage Project End Date: 31 December 2020 and lead in national and local humanitarian activities, Total duration (in months): 44 months (2) build the capacity of protection networks and support coordination at provincial and local levels and (3) support local organisations to deliver services before during and after emergencies. WPHF’s Outcome the Project is contributing to: Outcome 3: Humanitarian/crisis response planning, frameworks and programming which is informed by gender analysis and needs assessments: This requires the provision of both the technical tools as well as direct support to local women’s organizations to engage effectively in humanitarian planning and programming. Outcome 5: Protection: This can be accomplished by ensuring that women and girls’ safety, physical and mental health, and security is assured and that their human rights are respected through measures that prevent acts of violence, facilitates access to services for survivors of violence, and strengthens accountability mechanisms. WPHF’s indicator the Project is reporting on: 1. Percentage of funding allocated to gender responsive actions (Outcome 3) 2. Percentage of women benefitting from humanitarian response (Outcome 3) 3. Proportion of personnel in national security and justice institutions that are women (Outcome 5) 1 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY In the 2018 reporting period, WPHF made several gains in the Pacific. A second round of WPHF (4) grantees were selected in mid-2018 and began implementation in the fourth quarter of 2018. Among the Pacific projects 6 are contributing directly to Outcome 3 and two, towards Outcome 5, with all projects cumulatively making progress against the indicators. These results are detailed in the indicator framework. Since 2017, in the Pacific, WPHF has directly benefited 11,573 women and girls, reached a total of 20,150 persons and indirectly benefited 1,919,243people (see table 1). Women have primarily (57%) benefited from WPHF programming. Cumulatively across the five countries, the project has expended 48 percent of funds (USD$901, 931) towards humanitarian response planning and protection. A key lesson shared among the individual projects is that to get women to the trainings and on the agenda, men need to be involved along the way. More lessons and best practice are detailed in the report along with detailed outtakes for each WPHF project. Table 1: WPHF Beneficiaries in the Pacific by Country and Grantee Country Grantee Project Title No. of No. of Women, No. of Women Girls and Men Indirect and Girls and Boys beneficiaries Fiji ADRA Fiji Towards well informed FSL 6 11 0 response interventions: Community-level gender and food security in Fiji femLINKpacific Pacific Women’s Weather 374 374 1,793,089 Watch: Innovating and Leading as First Responders Medical Services Protecting Our Women 5,918 8,916 12,220 Pacific Engaging Rights (POWER) Samoa Samoa Red Cross Mainstreaming gender 4,883 10,324 16,990 Society analysis in to Samoa Red Cross Society Humanitarian Programming Solomon OXFAM Solomon The Womanitarian Project 280 350 8,000 Islands Islands Solomon Islands Protection and Gender in 27 50 0 Ministry of Women, Emergency Response Project Children, Youth and (PGERP) Family Affairs Palau Palau Red Cross Women’s Empowerment 0 0 0 Society and Center through Emergency for Women’s Preparedness, Crisis Empowerment Belau Response and Recovery (C-WEB) Vanuatu Save the Children in The localisation of the 85 125 88,944 Vanuatu and Care Vanuatu Gender & International Protection Cluster Total 11,573 20,150 1,919,243 2 I. Purpose and new developments The main objectives of the Pacific and Solomon Islands country proposal were to focus on increasing mechanisms, services, capacities and support to address women and girl’s safety, and increase security and peace in times of crisis. The eight projects from five Pacific Island Countries (PICs) focuses on achieving the following outcomes: ▪ Outcome 3: Humanitarian/crisis response planning, frameworks and programming which is informed by gender analysis and needs assessments: This requires the provision of both the technical tools as well as direct support to local women’s organizations to engage effectively in humanitarian planning and programming. ▪ Outcome 5: Protection: This can be accomplished by ensuring that women and girls’ safety, physical and mental health, and security is assured and that their human rights are respected through measures that prevent acts of violence, facilitates access to services for survivors of violence, and strengthens accountability mechanisms. Majority of projects (six) focus on outcome 3 and two projects, one in Fiji and another in Solomon Islands (MSP and SI MWCYFA) focus on outcome 5. Currently the first round of grantees (MSP, OXFAM, Samoa Red Cross, and Save Vanuatu) are immersed in implementation and making progress towards their target indicators. A second round of WPHF grantees (4) were selected in mid-2018 and began implementation in the fourth quarter of 2018. • Describe any evolution in the peace/security/humanitarian context experienced by the country. Given the cyclic nature of disasters in the Pacific WPHF grantees were involved in several disaster responses throughout 2018. Vanuatu In Vanuatu, multiple volcanic eruptions since late 2017 on multiple islands in the Vanuatu group has forced both permanent and temporary relocation of people. In August 2018 volcanic activity on the island of Ambae escalated to levels deemed dangerous resulting in the declaration of a State of Emergency and mass evacuation of about 10, 000 people to Maewo, Santo, Efate and other islands in Vanuatu. An active State of Emergency has lasted seven (7) months; during this time, the island of Ambae was declared uninhabitable and a no-go zone by the Government of Vanuatu. As recently as mid-December 2018, the Vanuatu Meteorology and Geo-Hazards Division raised the Volcanic Alert Level for Ambrym volcano to Level 3. Though the eruptions on Ambrym are considered minor, the new volcanic activity has resulted in the displacement of over 120 households with another 266 located within the 3km danger zone radius. Households within the danger zone radius will be permanently relocated according to Government decision. The Vanuatu Gender and Protection Cluster has been involved in the assessments, coordination, meetings and response to the on-going disaster. The cluster is co-chaired by both Save and Care and team members who lead on WPHF have also had to facilitate the continuing response efforts in Ambae, Maewo, Santo, and Ambryn. Solomon Islands 3 Solomon Islands experienced torrential flooding due to TC Liua in September; TC Liua formed outside the normal cyclone season and unexpectedly. It is the first cyclone in 70 years to appear in September in the South Pacific. The flooding was the worst in the southern provinces. In December multiple weather systems in the south-west pacific brought more rain and flooding across the Solomon Islands. National clusters were activated, though a national emergency was not declared. According to the National Disaster Management office (NDMO) 6 people are missing and 2 confirmed dead because of the recent flooding. Both OXFAM and the Protection Cluster were involved in the assessment and mapping out a response plan in both incidences. Women that OXFAM trained in Guadalcanal province were involved in disaster response, which speaks to the critical nature of the Womanitarian project. • Provide information on how the programme sought to break silos between peace and security/ humanitarian and development efforts The WPHF projects were designed with intentionality to break silos between development and humanitarian efforts. Moreover, the gender centered nature of the WPHF projects also contributes to challenging normative barriers. Women are generally invisible in both development and humanitarian spheres of work that contribute to gender-blind development and response. Each of the WPHF projects challenges these normative practices and provides capacity development, training, information platforms, and gender specific services during disasters. Cumulatively, these projects have and will contribute to elevating women in the disaster risk reduction and response spheres, as well as showcase women led innovations that are missing from dominant development conversations. A good example of the potential of WPHF projects is illustrated in this news story on femLINKpacific’s women weather watch which is being funded to be expanded to three other Pacific Islands Countries (PICs): https://www.irinnews.org/news-feature/2019/01/30/fiji-s-unheralded-frontline-disaster-responders-