Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs): Ethiopia GiHA WG Decentralization Process

Produced by UN Women Ethiopia, this technical paper sets out the Standard Operating Procedures for rolling out the Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group across Ethiopia's five humanitarian regions — Afar, Amhara, Oromia, Somali, and Tigray. The Working Group, established nationally in 2023, brings together UN agencies, government bodies, NGOs, and women-led organizations to ensure gender equality is built into every stage of humanitarian response. The SOPs define who leads, who participates, and how regional groups coordinate with the national body, covering membership rules, communication channels, reporting lines to humanitarian decision-makers, and tools for measuring results. Importantly, the procedures allocate formal membership seats for local women's organizations and set expectations for their active participation — recognizing them not just as recipients of aid, but as humanitarian actors in their own right — while providing a consistent, replicable framework that works regardless of which agencies or individuals are present on the ground.