Source: UNISDR Disaster Risk Reduction
GENEVA – As more than a thousand global leaders gathered for the 2025 Global Platform for Disaster Risk Reduction (GP2025), a powerful force from a behind-the-scenes presence to taking a centre-stage role: the LAC Women’s Network (the Americas and the Caribbean Women’s Network for Disaster Risk Reduction) descended on Geneva not only to participate, but to transform. With over 1,500 members and four elected representatives, the network brings the voices and stories of women from an expansive region where disasters intersect with deep-rooted inequalities.
Keeping track of gender representation
Their centerpiece? The Gender Observatory.
Formed in 2023 at the VIII Regional Platform in Uruguay, this citizen-monitoring tool has quickly evolved from a regional experiment into a global accountability mechanism. The Gender Observatory tracks gender and intersectional representation across official sessions, going far beyond surface-level parity.
Observers record who speaks, how women are portrayed, and whether marginalized groups are represented at all. With more than 60 volunteers gathering data in six languages during GP2025, the preliminary results suggest women are often present – but still struggle to be heard. Mentions of inclusion often lean towards the symbolic, and representation remains uneven.
What isn’t measured, doesn’t change
“Observatories like this are crucial because what isn’t measured, doesn’t change,” said Cynthia Rodríguez, the Network’s Executive Secretary.
Rodríguez, who grew up near Ecuador’s Chimborazo volcano, knows firsthand how disaster risk multiplies along gender and class lines. At the Multi-Stakeholder Plenary, she shared a personal story of losing her mother to forced migration during Ecuador’s 1998 El Niño crisis – and of returning years later to co-found the country’s first private-sector DRR network.
By 6 June, the Gender Observatory had logged 92 observations from over 30 contributors at GP2025 – and counting. While data continues to come in, early figures offer a revealing snapshot of participation and representation:
- A majority of observers (58.7%) followed proceedings online, with 38% on-site in Geneva.
- Thematic and Preparatory Day sessions drew the most attention, followed by plenaries, dialogues, and special events.
- Among moderators, nearly 71% were women, while 3.3% identified as gender-diverse – a sign of shifting norms, though still not parity.
- Inclusive language appeared inconsistently: only a quarter of sessions used it throughout, while over half featured it sporadically.
- Despite these gaps, over 70% of sessions received high quality ratings, a testament to growing awareness – and the work still to be done.
Advocating for Sendai GAP implementation across the board
But the Gender Observatory was not the Network’s only contribution. In a session titled Women’s Empowerment & Resilience: DRR Leadership Across Continents, the LAC Women’s Network joined forces with its Asia-Pacific counterpart (WIN DRR) and governments like Canada and Australia to advocate for the full implementation of the Sendai Framework’s Gender Action Plan.
Their message was simple: Women are not just vulnerable – they are leaders.
Elsewhere at GP2025, the Network hosted a Spanish-language showcase of good practices at the Inclusion Hub and participated in strategy dialogues with UNDRR leadership.
The Pledge Wall initiative – a colorful installation inviting attendees to commit publicly to inclusive DRR – served as a reminder that political will must be paired with visibility and accountability. The LAC Women’s Network was, of course, not only supporting it, but also making their own pledges.
Gender equality is not an add-on
The Network’s final declaration, signed by women across the region, demands more than applause. It calls for legal recognition of gender equality in disaster policy, direct funding for women-led initiatives, and the creation of a civil society-run regional Gender and DRR Observatory.
“Our network is working tirelessly to turn plans into action,” Rodríguez said. “But without resources and political support, we cannot scale the change our communities need.”
As the conference concludes, their data is being analyzed, their stories shared, and their message is unmistakable: Gender equality is not an add-on to disaster risk reduction. It is the foundation for resilience.