Global Gender Analysis: Secondary Impacts of COVID-19 on the Rohingya Response and Gender Programming

This thematic report is part of the ACAPS GENDER & COVID-19 series providing global analysis on the gendered impact of the pandemic in key areas of humanitarian programming such as livelihood, income and employment and health and protection.

As the number of confirmed cases rise among the estimated 860,000 Rohingya refugees residing in 34 overcrowded, makeshift camps, humanitarian agencies are likely to face increasing challenges in responding to critical needs. Strict measures have been introduced in an attempt to break the chain of transmission and slow the spread of COVID-19, including a drastic decrease in humanitarian presence in the camps, the suspension of programmes not considered lifesaving, and changes to the ways in which programmes are being delivered in order to maintain physical distancing and adhere to strict hygiene protocols.

This analysis will examine how these changes are impacting humanitarian’s ability to deliver gender responsive and gender sensitive programming in order to inform humanitarian responders and enable them to consider strategies to mitigate any risks arising.