The San Francisco-based foundation said women also bore the brunt of key disasters this year, from Hurricane Stan in Guatemala to the massive earthquake in Kashmir and Hurricane Katrina in the United States.

"The best estimates reveal that approximately three times as many women as men died in last year's tsunami, and according to early reports from Pakistan, more women than men were killed in the October 2005 earthquake," according to the report "Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women."

The precise number of women who died in the Asian tsunami has not been established as government statistics were not separated by gender, the foundation said, adding that its estimates were based on the sex of survivors.

The report urged that women be included in pre- and post-disaster planning and called for, among other measures, long-term income-generating projects and jobs for women and equal aid distribution.

National and international agencies must make special efforts to address the specific health needs of women in disaster situations, including providing suitable bathrooms, sanitary supplies, prenatal and maternity care, and psychological counseling, it said.

"We are deeply inspired by the courage of women's organizations to persevere in the face of disasters, such as hurricanes and earthquakes," said Kavita Ramdas, president of the Global Fund, which focuses exclusively on advancing women's rights.

"We see them take the lead in their communities to provide shelter, alleviate hunger, procure medicine, and demand participation in decisions about rebuilding their lives and livelihoods," she said.

The foundation said information in its report came from firsthand accounts gathered by women in Indonesia, Sri Lanka, Thailand, Guatemala, Pakistan and the United States who conducted fact-finding visits to devastated areas, including displaced persons camps.

Through working with 31 women's organizations in nine countries that have endured natural disasters, the Global Fund said it "has learned how traditional relief efforts fail women, the suffering that results, and how this failure can be reversed."

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