Creating lasting impact: The power of women-led localised responses to Covid-19

What does Covid-19 mean for women in the Global South, and what can Grand Bargain Signatories, including donor governments, do to ensure women’s rights are protected and effective and lasting impact is promoted?

Executive summary

This policy brief highlights why Covid-19 poses a signicant threat to women’s rights, and makes a series of practical recommendations for Covid-19 response efforts to be driven by local women, including women’s groups, women-led organisations (WLOs), women’s rights organisations (WROs), and women-led networks, as decision makers and partners.

Investing in localised women-led approaches to Covid-19 will:

• Support rapid and contextually relevant efforts to curb the spread and impact of Covid-19, reaching families and communities at scale.
• Ensure the gendered impact of Covid-19 is addressed and the rights of women and girls are protected and prioritised.
• Pave the way for sustainable recovery efforts, grounded in fairer and more gender-just communities and societies.