Cooking fuel is a critical issue that touches on nearly every facet of the daily life of millions of families. Because they spend the most time near fires while cooking, women, and their children are particularly vulnerable to a range of health problems, including lung and eye diseases.

Since 2007, the international community, led by the Women’s Refugee Commission and supported by USAID, has been developing global guidance documents to focus on the need to ensure safe access to appropriate cooking fuel in humanitarian settings from the start of every emergency.