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INTRODUCTION

In February 2008, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Mr. Ban Ki-Moon, launched his Campaign “UNiTE to End Violence against Women, 2008-2015”. Through the Campaign, the Secretary-General is spearheading the accelerated efforts of the United Nations system to address violence against women. The Framework for Action of the Secretary-General’s Campaign identifies five key outcomes to be achieved in all countries by 2015:

  • The adoption and enforcement of national legislation in line with international human rights standards
  • The adoption and implementation of multi-sectoral national action plans
  • Establishment of data collection and analysis systems
  • Establishment of national and/or local awareness-raising campaigns
  • Systematic efforts to address sexual violence in conflict situations

The Inventory of United Nations Activities to End Violence against Women (Inventory) gives an overview of past and ongoing activities on violence against women by the entities of the United Nations system, including those which have already contributed to the achievement of the five key outcomes of the Secretary-General’s Campaign by 2015 and those which continue to address violence against women in these areas. It is compiled by UN Womenand it is intended to pursue systematic and timely information exchange among entities of the United Nations system about existing and planned strategies, programmes and activities on violence against women, at global, regional and national level.

The Inventory was first issued in July 2007, when departments and offices of the United Nations Secretariat, regional commissions, funds and programmes, specialized agencies, as well as international financial institutions, provided a baseline of their activities on violence against women. Subsequently, updates to the Inventory were compiled in January 2008, September 2008, February 2009, September 2009, February 2010, September 2010, February 2011, February 2012, February 2013, February 2014, and March 2016.

The Inventory has existed since 2007 in an electronic form. In order to make the Inventory a more user-friendly tool, UN Women designed an online platform that contains an easy search engine with information on UN entities, inter-agency mechanisms and their activities to address violence against women and girls. The new platform intends to contribute to better exchange of experiences, and to further strengthen coordination within the UN system, particularly in view of the implementation of the SDGs.

This website provides information on the activities of 36 UN Funds/Programmes/Specialized Agencies and Financial Institutions, and 6 inter-agency mechanisms and activities. With regard to each entity, information is provided by the date of its submission, beginning with the baseline of July 2007. Where no information was provided by the entity at the baseline in relation to a particular heading, information is provided as of the first date on which relevant inputs were received.

CATEGORIES OF ACTIVITY USED IN THE INVENTORY

The entities of the United Nations system address violence against women through research and analysis, as well as legal and policy development. They support Member States and other stakeholders in their efforts and provide services and other assistance to victims/survivors of violence, undertake advocacy and awareness-raising activities, implement innovative projects, as well as provide funding to various stakeholders for their activities.

In this website, information regarding the work of United Nations entities is divided into the following ten categories:

  • Inter-Agency Mechanisms and Activities
  • International Legal and Policy Development
  • Enhanced Capacity of UN Entity in Relation to Violence Against Women
  • Support for Legislative Development
  • Support for Policy Development
  • Prevention, Including Awareness-Raising and Advocacy
  • Protection, Support and Services for Victims/Survivors
  • Data Collection, Analysis and Research
  • Training and Capacity Building
  • Measures to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations

INFORMATION ON EACH UN ENTITY/INTER-AGENCY MECHANISM

This website also contains information on each entity/inter-agency mechanism, including:

  • Background: under this heading, the inventory provides a brief overview of the entity’s general area of responsibility.
  • Policy framework: under this heading, the inventory provides specific mandates – a resolution or decision, and/or policy statement(s) of an intergovernmental/governing body, or similar mandate that guides the work on violence against women of the respective entity, where these exist. General mandates on violence against women that guide the work of the entities of the United Nations system and which are listed below, are not repeated.
  • Areas of focus: under this heading, the inventory highlights the particular area(s) of focus of the entity concerned in regard to violence against women. This may cover particular forms of violence against women (for example domestic violence, or trafficking in women), or the particular contexts/situations where violence against women occurs (for example violence against women in humanitarian settings).
  • Resources: under this heading, the inventory lists major publications, including videos and films, on violence against women of the respective entity.
  • Address/Websites: under this heading, the inventory provides the entity’s address, as well as a general website address, or links to the entity’s specific, dedicated sites or pages on violence against women.

PROCESS OF UPDATING THE INVENTORY

Information regarding each entity will continue to be updated, as appropriate, based on information received from United Nations entities, and financial Institutions.