Here are some of the key documents for gender equality programming in humanitarian action:

	Gender Handbook in Humanitarian Action The IASC Gender Handbook is a tool for clusters/sectors to plan, implement, monitor and evaluate its programmes with a gender lens. It is available in Arabic, Chinese, English, Farsi, French, Russian and Spanish.
	Guidelines for Gender-based Violence Interventions in Humanitarian Settings The IASC GBV Guidelines is afield-friendly tool on how to set up a multi-sectoral GBV programme stressing the need for a coordinated approach. It is available in English, French and Spanish.

IASC Gender GBV and PSEA Guidelines - leaflet with brief overview of all IASC Gender, GBV and PSEA guidelines

ADAPT and ACT - Flyer on the Adapt and Act Framework for Gender Equality Programming in Humanitarian Action

Report on Sex and Age Disaggregated Data (SADD):

Good data aids decision making and programming; both crucial to our humanitarian enterprise. But if the data is not specific about the impact of our work on different groups of people, women, girls, boys, men, older people or disabled, it is difficult to know the specific needs of these people have been met. The report "Sex and Age Matter: Improving Humanitarian Response in Emergencies" shows us clearly that the humanitarian community has not invested enough in collecting and using sex and age disaggregated data to inform our programming. Find the new Report here, and the executive summary in French here.

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Gender equality programming is vital in all phases of emergency response. The resources below are brief documents on gender in emergencies.
Why Gender Matters in Crisis Situations?
Gender and Education in Emergencies

GENDER ABCS - advocacy documents available!

Taking into account the distinct needs and capacities of women, girls, boys and men makes humanitarian response more effective and equitable. The Sub-working Group of Gender has developed Gender ABCs (two-page advocacy pieces ) on the main gender issues in the following countries:

Gender ABC Mali English - March 2012
Gender ABC Mali French - March 2012
Gender ABC Yemen - February 2012
Gender ABC Horn of Africa - August 2011
Gender ABC Somalia drought/famine - August 2011
Gender ABC Libya - March 2011
Gender ABC Cote D'Ivoire - March 2011 (English)
Gender ABC Cote D'Ivoire - March 2011 (French)
Gender ABC in Pakistan Floods Response - August 2010

Haiti:
Key messages on gender in the Haiti emergency response :
English - Español - Francais - Kreyol
Briefing Kit on Gender in Haiti
Preventing sexual exploitation and abuse (PSEA) during the Haiti emergency English - Francais

Further information on prevention from and response to gender-based violence after the Haiti earthquake can be found here.
Resources on reproductive health for the Haiti response can be found here.

The IASC Gender Handbook chapter by chapter:
Legal Framework
Coordination
Participation
CCCM
Education
Food Issues
Food Security
Food Distribution
Nutrition
Health
Livelihoods
NFIs
Registration
Shelter
Wash

The IASC Gender Standby Capacity (GenCap) project seeks to build capacity of humanitarian actors at country level to mainstream gender equality programming, including prevention and response to gender-based violence, in all sectors of humanitarian response. GenCap’s goal is to ensure that humanitarian action takes into consideration the different needs and capabilities of women, girls, boys and men equally. It is a critical part to building inter-agency capacity on the integration of cross-cutting issues into the cluster approach.

GenCap consists of a pool of 26 gender advisers at a P-4/ P-5 level to be deployed on short notice as an inter-agency resource to support the UN Humanitarian/Resident Coordinators (HC/RC), humanitarian country teams and cluster/sectors leads, in the initial stages of sudden-onset emergencies as well as in protracted or recurring humanitarian situations. For more information on GenCap, click here

The Gender Marker is a tool that measures whether or not a humanitarian project is designed well enough to ensure women/girls and men/boys will benefit equally or if it will advance gender equality. The Marker is a cooperative effort between the IASC SWG and the Consolidated Appeal Process (CAP). The Gender Marker is being rolled out in 11 Humanitarian Country Teams for 2011. For general information on the gender marker, please consult the two documents below.

Gender Marker Report 2012 here, executive summary here.
Gender Marker update: June 2010
FAQ on the Gender Marker

The IASC gender marker has now been completed in 9 countries for the 2011 cycle.
Final Report
Executive Report

To access tools and guidance for implementing the Gender Marker, please go to the Gender Marker page

NEW! NEW! 

The DARA Humanitarian Response Index 2011 was launched in Geneva the 7 March 2012. The 2011 report specifically focuses on the continued gender challenges. Find the report here and the related article "Taking Gender Concerns Seriously" by Valerie Amos here.  

Find documents on accountability here.  

NEW! NEW!  

SAHEL: Gender Concerns in the 2012 Sahel food crisis; English and French.

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NEW! NEW! 

In April- June 2011, Linda Pennells traveled to Pakistan to build capacity of FAO/WFP to provide effective leadership to the Global Food Security Cluster in mainstreaming gender and the IASC Gender Marker into cluster preparedness and response to emergency and early recovery. Find Pennels' report here. Click here to find a presentation on Gender Analysis in Agriculture in Pakistan.

From 21st to 23rd June 2011, a Gender Marker Workshop was held in Nairobi, Kenya. Find the report from the Workshop here.

The cross-cutting thematic issue of mainstreaming gender equality in early actions to humanitarian crisis will be raised at the Emergency Directors' meeting in November 2010. A discussion paper has been prepared by the SWG Gender.

The IASC online course on gender and humanitarian action is now available. Different Needs - Equal Opportunites: Increasing Effectiveness of Humanitarian Action for Women, Girls, Boys and Men offers the participant to practice her/his skills through an online, simulated humanitarian crisis. Upon completion, a certificate is issued. Take the course here.

Links to over 100 resources on gender and humanitarian action! Now updated with links to resources on gender and disaster risk reduction. See here.

A complete toolkit for training in gender equality and GBV programming has been published. Click here to see agenda and session documents.

The Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Humanitarian Segment took place from 19 – 21 July 2011 in Geneva. It provided an important forum where Member States and humanitarian organizations discuss the challenges, opportunities and activities related to the strengthening of the coordination of emergency humanitarian assistance. 

For years there have been calls to address the differential impacts of conflicts and disasters on women, girls, boys and men, from preparedness for response to emergencies through acute to chronic humanitarian situations to post-conflict transition.  Women’s voices are rarely sought to help plan and implement humanitarian action, often humanitarian interventions put women and girls – and sometimes men and boys—at greater risk for gender-based violence, and disaggregated data is seldom collected or used to inform assistance on the ground. Often the nagging question is – whose needs were met – whose were forgotten? 

While investment in building capacity for gender equality programming has been undertaken by some entities including through the deployment of GenCaps and the use of Gender Marker – more action is required.  Accountability to beneficiaries and ensuring quality performance based on agreed gender standards is necessary.

To address these issues and provide insight on some innovative initiatives to address the challenges to gender equality programming in humanitarian action, a panel discussion was held as a side event in the 2011 ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment.

Here, challenges in gender equality will be identified with the aim of holding the humanitarian system accountable to do better. Building on one of the main themes of the 2011 ECOSOC Humanitarian Segment, the side event sought to demonstrate the importance of involving women and understanding gender dimensions initially during preparedness for responding to disasters, and also during acute humanitarian situations and through to transition. 

Peter Walker, Director, Feinstein International Center presented the study on how Sex and Age Matter; Evidence to drive humanitarian response. Find his presentation here.