The national response to the COVID-19 pandemic in India has necessitated action on multiple fronts, one of the most urgent being the provision of food and other essential support to the millions of informal sector workers and wage labour who suddenly found themselves without jobs and incomes. Government and nongovernment agencies are providing on0ground support to fulfil these needs. However, it is critical for response actions to consider differentiated impacts on vulnerable groups, girls, boys, women and men.

The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is the world’s largest humanitarian agency with the mandate to ensure targeted food and cash assistance to millions of people across 83 countries. This brief summarizes WFP’s Gender and Protection Guidance in the context of COVID-19 and aims to support organizations conducting COVID relief operations in India to ensure that no one is left behind.