Project profile — Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund: Haiti Appeal and Rapid Response

Canada's support of the United Nations Women's Peace and Humanitarian Fund (WPHF) aims to increase women’s participation in, and implementation of, peace processes and peace agreements. The WPHF's Rapid Response Window (RRW) is a critical funding mechanism that addresses urgent funding gaps with rapid, short-term support. This project supports to the WPHF's work in Haiti, to provide rapid funding to local women's organizations responding to the crisis and the needs of women and girls. Project activities include: (1) undertaking advocacy and technical support; (2) building capacity for women to meaningfully participate by promoting favourable attitudes towards their participation in conflict prevention; (3) addressing barriers to women’s representation and participation in peace negotiations; and (4) ensuring women’s and girls’ safety, health and security are assured, and their human rights respected through measures that prevent acts of violence, facilitate access to services for survivors, and strengthen accountability.

The expected outcomes of this project include: (1) increased women’s participation in decision-making processes and responses related to conflict prevention; (2) increased women’s engagement and leadership in humanitarian action; (3) enhanced women’s representation and leadership in formal and informal peace negotiations; (4) increased protections for women and girls’ human rights; and (5) increased involvement of women in the economic recovery of their communities.

Results achieved as of March 2025 include: (1) the Women's peace and humanitarian fund (WPHF) launched 21 new calls for proposals to support civil society organizations and approved 188 new grants, supporting 293 civil society organizations (CSOs) in 2023. This increased the total number of CSOs supported by WPHF since 2016 to 1,207; (2) The WPHF Rapid response window on women and peace processes and its NGO partners supported 42 initiatives across 23 countries under its short-term grant and direct support streams. These efforts enabled over 2,000 women peacebuilders and activists participate in Track I and Track II peace processes, either by negotiating or implementing peace agreements. In total, this initiative directly benefitted over 8,104 people (83% women and young women). The majority of support focused on Track 2 peace processes (54%) and implementing peace agreements (35%); (3) WPHF supported the participation or influence of 1,030 women and young women in formal or informal peace processes through it’s regular funding cycle. As a result, the project averted, resolved or referred 4,581 conflicts through local and regional gender-responsive mechanisms; (4) provided logistical and technical support to enable women’s rights organizations and activists to seize opportunities for their participation and influence in high-level peace negotiations; (5) developed road maps for inclusive peace agreements and accountability mechanisms; and (6) women peacebuilders and women’s rights organizations in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ethiopia, Senegal, and Syria identified gender responses and solutions to restore peaceful environments.