Seoul – The International Organization for Migration (IOM) Mission in the Republic of Korea (ROK), in partnership with UN Women Centre of Excellence for Gender Equality recently organized the “Training Workshop on Mainstreaming Gender in Humanitarian Action” from 28 to 31 March 2023.  

The workshop, which was supported by the Bureau of Humanitarian Assistance (BHA) of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), brought together a total of 42 professionals from NGOs, government institutions, and other relevant organisations with backgrounds in humanitarian assistance project management. 

The workshop sought to address the growing demand for capacity development in various thematic areas in humanitarian assistance, particularly in gender-responsive measures in emergency operations.  

The event also coincided with the publication of the Korean translation of the "Gender in Humanitarian Action Handbook" led by IOM ROK.  

The training was also designed to help participants gain comprehensive understanding of gender-relevant concepts in humanitarian action, covering fundamental knowledge and practical skills.  

Led by UN Women experts, the workshop was consisted of two parts: a two-day basic training, which introduced core notions and gender-mainstreaming approaches throughout the Humanitarian Programme Cycle (HPC); and a back-to-back advanced training for another two days through which more practical exercises were conducted to design a gender-sensitive humanitarian intervention mechanism with key concepts and tools learned during the basic training, such as the IASC Gender with Age Marker (GAM).  

"I found the workshop to be informative and enlightening. The expertise of the speakers was impressive, and I was able to acquire firm theoretical knowledge of various aspects of gender mainstreaming in humanitarian projects. I look forward to incorporating what I have learned into my work going forward," said a basic training participant.  

Another participant from the advanced training added, "The workshop was incredibly beneficial, particularly the scenario-based project development exercise. I gained comprehensive understanding of how to utilize the GAM, and I plan to share what I have learned with my colleagues in my organisation to benefit our entire team.” 

Since 2014, IOM ROK, with support from USAID, has been supporting ROK humanitarian actors with capacity enhancement in emergency preparedness and response through tailored trainings, resource curation, and knowledge-sharing activities in various forms.  

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For more information, please contact Eunice Jieun KIM, IOM Republic of Korea Mission, Tel.: +82 70 4820 0291, Email: jikim@iom.int.