The authors identify four central themes that characterize these problematic narratives within development programming.
1. Reinforcing hierarchical knowledge praxis
The first theme critiques the exclusion and silencing of knowledge originating from the Global South. The authors highlight how development programs often overlook indigenous histories of collective organization. For instance, while organizations often present “safe spaces” as new interventions, African women have long utilized similar cultural structures, such as the Nhanga in Shona/Bantu traditions, to discuss health and social issues. By ignoring these existing forms of leadership, programs perpetuate a colonial dynamic that positions the Global North as the sole source of innovation.
2. Culturalizing violence
The second theme addresses the tendency to portray violence as an intrinsic characteristic of cultures in the Global South. The article argues that reports frequently blame culture or tradition as the primary oppressor, suggesting violence results from “backward” customs rather than structural inequalities. This narrative obscures the roles of colonialism and global capitalism in fostering violence and reinforces stereotypes that depict men in the Global South as uniquely dangerous. The authors emphasize that decolonial feminism rejects this simplification and calls for an analysis of how violence is structural.
3. Labelling work as inherently liberating
The third theme challenges the neoliberal assumption that economic participation is the primary solution to gender inequality. Many programs operate on the logic that providing jobs will automatically liberate women and girls from poverty. The authors argue this perspective depoliticizes poverty by ignoring exploitative global economic structures. It places the burden of solving poverty on individual women and girls while overlooking the lack of decent work conditions and social protections in the informal sectors where many are employed.
4. Universalizing human rights discourses
The final theme critiques the imposition of Western understandings of human rights as universal standards. The authors note that many programs rely on individualistic frameworks that may conflict with local values of community and interdependence. For instance, viewing care work solely as a burden ignores how such activities can be essential for social solidarity in some cultures. The article suggests that relying exclusively on formal legal systems, which are often colonial legacies, overlooks the potential of local, non-state justice systems.
The authors conclude that effective gender equality programming must “delink” from Western narratives and integrate a decolonial feminist perspective that prioritizes indigenous identities and values local knowledge systems.
Gender in emergencies: a practical space for grappling with these challenges
The critiques raised by Udenigwe, Aubel, and Abimbola highlight the difficulty of “doing” gender work without reinforcing the very power structures its advocates in the Global North aim to dismantle. The Certificate peer learning programme for gender in emergencies attempts to navigate these complexities not by claiming to have all the answers, but by changing how practitioners learn and collaborate. It offers a structured space for professionals to reflect on the tensions between international standards and their local realities.
Shifting the source of knowledge
The programme aligns with the call to challenge “hierarchical knowledge praxis” by explicitly rejecting the traditional expert-student model. Instead of relying on lectures from the Global North, the course treats the lived experience of practitioners as the “primary text” of the learning. It frames the primer not as a rulebook, but as an “invitation to a conversation” where participants test ideas against their own reality. This design aims to honor the knowledge practitioners already hold rather than assuming they need to be “taught” their own context.
Focusing on introspection and standpoint
The course material addresses the risk of “culturalizing violence” by asking participants to turn the lens inward first. It uses the concept of “standpoint” to help practitioners recognize how their own identities and positions of power shape what they see. The primer encourages humanitarians to examine their own biases – such as hierarchy and double standards – before diagnosing the communities they serve. This supports the move away from blaming culture and toward understanding systemic power dynamics.
Moving from compliance to context-appropriate action
Rather than promoting a “universalizing” checklist, the programme focuses on helping participants develop “context-appropriate solutions”. It acknowledges that tools like the BIAS FREE framework or Rapid Gender Analysis are not endpoints but are means to build analytical muscle. By connecting colleagues across borders to share challenges and strategies, the programme seeks to nurture a form of solidarity that supports practitioners in defining what works best for their specific communities.
The programme acknowledges that this work is difficult and requires courage. It offers a starting point for practitioners who wish to move beyond talking about these problems to finding practical ways to address them alongside their peers.
You can learn more about the approach and the primer here: https://www.learning.foundation/gender-in-emergencies
About the featured image: This sculptural assembly presents bodies that are held together by tension rather than mass, their forms composed of fragments, seams, and visible joins. Neither singular nor uniform, the figures stand in relation to one another, suggesting histories shaped by external forces and internal resilience. The work echoes the call to move away from imposed structures and universal answers, and instead attend to lived experience, local knowledge, and collective strength. What appears fragile is, in fact, sustained by connection, reminding us that equality cannot be built by fitting people into existing frames, but by reshaping the frames themselves. The Geneva Learning Foundation Collection © 2026.
References
Udenigwe O, Aubel J, Abimbola S. A decolonial feminist perspective on gender equality programming in the Global South. Meudec M, editor. PLOS Glob Public Health. 7 January 2026;6(1):e0005556. Available from: https://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pgph.0005556