(New York) — The United Nations Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) announced today the launch of its latest emergency funding appeal to rapidly mobilize urgently-needed financing for local women’s organizations responding to the floods and resulting devastation in Libya.
On 10 September 2023, northeastern Libya was hit with devastating rains and flash floods, resulting in unprecedented catastrophic consequences for the affected people and infrastructure. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) estimates that over 880,000 people, including 440,000 women, have been directly affected, with Derna reportedly being the most affected location due to the collapse of dams. It is estimated that, as of 19 September, almost 4,000 people have died, over 10,000 are missing, and 40,000 have been displaced.
Following years of conflict, political instability, insecurity and economic turmoil, Libya’s current crisis further exacerbates an already challenging humanitarian situation that has left women and girls at heightened risk of gender-based violence, exploitation, limiting their access to emergency services and assistance, and hindering their participation in crisis response.
In the face of this rapidly evolving emergency, it is critical that frontline women’s organizations in Libya play leading roles in humanitarian planning and programming to ensure gender-inclusive and sustainable responses to the current needs.
“Local women’s organizations in Libya are working at the forefront of the response to the fast-growing humanitarian needs of affected populations across the country, especially women and girls,” said Ghita El Khyari, Head of the WPHF Secretariat. “They must be financed and supported as key actors on the ground.”
The WPHF emergency funding appeal for Libya will mobilize up to 3.5 million USD to support local women’s organizations working across two priority areas: Advancing the participation and leadership of women in planning and responding to humanitarian crisis; and Enhancing the safety, security and mental health of women and girls while protecting their human rights.
The first phase of WPHF’s emergency humanitarian response in Libya will channel funding to pre-identified local women’s CSOs working to address the urgent needs of their communities. This will be followed by a public Call for Proposals to mobilize women’s organizations that can respond to the crisis and the specific needs of women and girls.
The Call for Proposals will make available financing for civil society organizations that build the resilience of Libyan women and girls through programmatic funding from 30,000 to 200,000 USD, and institutional funding to help sustain and strengthen women’s organizations throughout the crisis with grants from 2,500 USD to 30,000 USD.
