Human resource management (HR) involves the strategies and practices used to hire, develop, and retain staff to meet organizational goals. HR can play a crucial role in integrating GBV risk mitigation at both programmatic and organizational levels.
Why is it Important?
HR is key to embedding GBV risk mitigation into organizational culture and practices, making it a predictable and sustainable aspect of work rather than dependent on individuals. Incorporating GBV risk mitigation into job descriptions, performance reviews, and onboarding processes ensures that all staff understand its importance and are held accountable. Providing GBV training and investing in expertise to support capacity-building and response services further solidifies the organization’s commitment to this issue.
Applying GBV risk mitigation principles to HR and security policies helps create a safe and valued environment for women staff. This approach not only fulfills moral and legal obligations but also enhances the organization's ability to attract and retain female talent, ultimately making programs and the organization itself safer.
Why are they relevant?: Offers an example of how GBV risk mitigation can be incorporated into competency frameworks.
Why are they relevant?: Describes CARE USA’s journey towards institutionalizing GBV risk mitigation in its system by using capacity-building. The example includes both global and country levels.
Why are they relevant?: Provides guidance for incorporating GBV risk mitigation and gender analysis into security systems.
Why are they relevant?: Outlines key security considerations with respect to GBV affecting UN personnel and their eligible family members and information on support services for referrals in the event of an incident to all personnel.
Why are they relevant?: Outlines recommendations for organizations, including survivor-centred prevention measures, policies and procedures to address sexual violence.
Why are they relevant?: Mandates uninterrupted availability (24-hour accessibility) of PEP for all UN staff and dependents and includes specific guidance on administering PEP as part of providing care to a survivor following an incident of sexual assault.
Why are they relevant?: Summarises a linkage between HR and GBV risk mitigation institutionalization and provides some good examples and considerations for anchoring GBV risk mitigation in human resources.
Example 1
Creating dedicated GBV positions in the World Food Programme
The World Food Programme (WFP), which does not carry out specialized GBV programming, was able to make the case for fixed-term GBV specialist positions to support its work on gender equality and GBV risk mitigation across the organization. In the broader humanitarian community, there was a building evidence base of the links between food security and GBV and recognition at WFP that it was a considerable risk for the organization’s work and the populations it serves to not consider how food insecurity creates risk for GBV, and also how food security can reduce risk. At the same time within WFP, there was a both a clear commitment to the centrality of protection and a drive for prioritizing cash-based transfers as a food security intervention, and the organization needed to understand and manage the specific risks of GBV associated with providing cash. The culmination of these factors led to the creation of two fixed-term positions focused on GBV in 2023 that have been sustained for 2024. The organizational response to this specialization has been quite positive. Country offices consistently reach out to the GBV specialists for technical support and appreciate the assistance provided. The team has also expanded its reach to operational aspects of the organization, including collaborations with human resources and security.
Example 2
GBV risk mitigation in the Global Nutrition Cluster’s core competency framework
The Global Nutrition Cluster’s Competency Framework for Cluster Coordination, which outlines the competencies required for those working as cluster coordinators in the nutrition clusters at global, regional, national and sub-national levels, includes competencies related to GBV risk mitigation. The competency framework identifies that understanding the intersection of nutrition and GBV is a prerequisite for the coordination role. More specifically, cluster coordinators must have underlying knowledge of GBV, gender, the IASC Guidelines and the GBV Pocket Guide, and the ability to use data on GBV, gender, and women and girls to inform the design and monitoring of programming. This is a practice which can be replicated in other sectors and could potentially have a trickle-down effect to the sector level.
