DR Congo: Capitalization of lessons learned on gender equality integration into the 10th, 11th, 12th and 13th Ebola outbreaks in the Democratic Republic of Congo

Country: Democratic Republic of the Congo Source: UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs Please refer to the attached file. 1. CONTEXT The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has till date recorded 17 outbreaks of the Ebola virus disease (EVD). Since 2018 to date, nine outbreaks – ninth to seventeenth – erupted successively in the North Kivu, South Kivu, Ituri, Équateur and Kasaï Provinces. In 2021, the Congolese Government battled two Ebola epidemics in the same Province (North Kivu): the 12th and the 13th outbreaks. The spectre of future Ebola outbreaks remains very high as a new outbreak, the seventeenth, was declared on 15 May 2026 by the Ministry of Public Health, Hygiene and Social Welfare. It is widely recognized that crises and disease outbreaks impact differently women, girls, men, boys, especially those from marginalized or vulnerable groups and can exacerbate existing gender inequalities. Therefore, a gender perspective of epidemic-prone infectious diseases is of particular importance as it «aims to show how, by taking such differences between men and women into account, it is possible to improve the understanding of the epidemiology and the clinical course and outcome of diseases, aid in their detection and treatment, and increase public participation in and the effectiveness of prevention and control activities». The tenth to thirteenth Ebola epidemics generated significant knowledge and have shown that the effect on gender varies significantly. This research paper presents some of the main takeaways on gender integration based on lessons from these four outbreaks. It documents also the challenges, lessons learnt and best practices applicable to future outbreaks in the DRC and globally. Therefore, it is paramount that frontline workers, responders, duty bearers integrate emerging lessons, best practices from past and ongoing Ebola outbreaks to better inform current and any future Ebola-related interventions.

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