Afghanistan: Gender Alert No. 1: Secondary Impacts of the Middle East Escalation on Women and Girls in Asia and the Pacific

Countries: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Iraq, Myanmar, Pakistan, Philippines, Sri Lanka Sources: Asia Pacific Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Group, UN Women Please refer to the attached Infographic. This Gender Alert highlights the secondary impacts of the escalating Middle East conflict across Asia and the Pacific, driven by disrupted energy markets, supply chain constraints, reduced remittances, and cross-border displacement pressures. Crises are not gender neutral, and women and girls—particularly those in women-headed households, informal employment, and refugee communities, face disproportionate exposure to food insecurity, gender-based violence (GBV) risks, livelihood erosion, and increasing unpaid care burdens. The analysis draws on inputs from the Asia Pacific GiHA Working Group members, including co-chairs UN Women, UNOCHA and Plan International, and synthesizes existing humanitarian situation reports, analyses, and response and preparedness plans from UN agencies and partners. It is further informed by evidence from previous crises in the region where similar economic, displacement, and supply chain shocks have been documented. The alert builds on UNOCHA’s initial analysis of the humanitarian impact of the Middle East escalation in Asia and the Pacific and focuses on affected countries with ongoing response plans and/or active Gender in Humanitarian Action Working Groups or equivalent.

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