The missing half of the Sendai framework: Gender and women in the implementation of global disaster risk reduction policy

Five years into the implementation of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030 (SFDRR), this paper analyses the relevance of the SFDRR for women in the context of disasters. It argues that although the framework has made headway in promoting the inclusion of women and girls in disaster policy and programming, on the whole it represents a missed opportunity for addressing fundamental gender-based issues in DRR. Recommendations are offered for mitigating several SFDRR shortcomings during its current process of implementation. These include outlining a more refined conceptualization of gender, improved inclusion of women and sexual minorities in its indicators and implementation documents, and greater alignment with parallel policy frameworks and other indicator systems.