UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Item ID
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UNAgency ID
{426FFF42-C295-4238-A48D-D43FF9460F95}
Policy Framework

In its Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021, UNESCO accords priority to gender equality in all its fields of competence supported by a dual approach, gender specific programming and gender mainstreaming, in Member States and within the Organization. UNESCO is fully engaged in pursuing this commitment through concrete, substantive programmes and initiatives in all its fields of competence (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002272/227222e.pdf) as captured in an organization-wide “Priority Gender Equality Action Plan for 2014-2021”.

Background

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.

 

At its 197th session, UNESCO Executive Board adopted the Roadmap for UNESCO’s programme on preventing and addressing school-related gender-based violence (197 EX/SR.8)

Resources

Searching for Best Practices to Counter Human Trafficking in Africa: A Focus on Women and Children, Thanh-Dam Truong and Maria Belen Angeles, UNESCO 2005

Research papers prepared on “Women in the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, (2004/2005)
 

URL

http://en.unesco.org/

Mail Address

7 place Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France

Areas of Work

UNESCO primarily addresses the following types of violence against women: inter-personal violence in and out of schools; trafficking in women; women in conflict and post-conflict situations (including the use of rape as a weapon of war). Activities cover various fields of education; the natural sciences; the social and human sciences; culture; and communications and information.

UNESCO has a two-pronged approach to violence against women:
1) A behavioural approach. Through education and with the help of ICTs, UNESCO seeks to build commitment to peace and non-violence in the minds of men and women. This includes the promotion of gender-sensitive human rights education and non-violent conflict resolution approaches. UNESCO’s Human Rights Education programme seeks to bring about a profound reform of education in order to transform attitudes and behaviours that condone violence. It touches upon curriculum development, in-service and pre-service training, textbooks, methodology, classroom management, and the organization of the education system at all levels.
2)A structural approach. Notably through its Social and Human Sciences and Culture Sector programmes, UNESCO looks at the structural causes of violence against women and seeks to encourage holistic and culturally appropriate policy responses towards their elimination.

Agency Type
OTHERS
Title
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Icon
UNESCO

Feb 2008 - Sept 2008 | UNESCO

UNESCO’s Communication and Information Sector implemented a project in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, entitled “Training of female radio reporters to prevent violence” in association with the local NGO “Casa de la Mujer.” Two workshops were conducted with women and men on existing legislation against domestic violence, and forty 30-minute radio programmes (in various broadcasting formats) are being produced and will be broadcast by participating radio stations.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNESCO

The UNESCO project on “Transforming the Mainstream: Addressing Structural Gender-related Vulnerabilities to HIV and AIDS”, initiated in January 2010, strengthened national and international capacities and skills to support gender-transformative strategies that help eliminate the structural gender inequalities that are driving the HIV pandemic. The project includes the dissemination of the main findings of the research conducted in the context of the UNESCO/Social Science Research Council (SSRC) publication entitled “The Fourth Wave: Violence, Gender, Culture & HIV in the 21st Century”.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNESCO

The UNESCO Office in Beirut launched in November 2010, in Lebanon, a study on school-related gender-based violence, expected to be completed in December 2011. The study is funded by the Government of Italy, and implemented within the framework of the project “Supporting Gender Equality in Education in Lebanon”, in close collaboration with the Lebanese Ministry of Social Affairs and the Ministry of Education. UNESCO continued to conduct research on violence against women and its activities to fight human trafficking in Africa.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNESCO;
UNDP

UNDP and UNESCO supported the Gender Studies Institute (GSI) based at the Kabul University in Afghanistan to conduct a multi-province research on the nature and forms of gender-based violence within educational institutions in Afghanistan. The research was conducted in 2009 in three Afghan Universities (Kabul, Mazar, and Herat): (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001899/189969e.pdf).The findings and recommendations of the research were presented in October 2010 during an advocacy workshop with the Gender Studies Institute, the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Health.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNESCO

In January 2011, UNESCO signed an agreement on the establishment of a Research and Documentation Centre on Women, Gender and Peace-building for the Great Lakes Region, located in Kinshasa (the Democratic Republic of Congo). This Centre is part of UNESCO’s programme to promote the human rights of women living in the Great Lakes Region through policy-oriented research, consultations, networking, capacity-building and the promotion of sustainable peace in this region.

Oct 2009 - Feb 2010 | UNESCO

In December 2009, UNESCO’s Office in Beijing, along with the UN country team, launched a project on “Preventing and Responding to Domestic Violence in China through a Multi-Sectoral Approach”. The project is supported by the UN Trust Fund and coordinated a host of UN agencies and national partners. UNESCO is taking the lead role to conduct baseline surveys in identifying risks and needs in prevention and response to domestic violence; and developing a pilot program for training community leaders in prevention of violence against women.

Mar 2013 - Feb 2014 | UNESCO

UNESCO developed a global review of school-related gender based violence and conducted a regional review on the topic the Asia Pacific region. UNESCO also commissioned five country studies on the links between HIV/AIDS and gender-based violence in the Great Lakes Region of Africa and conducted a regional workshop on the topic in Tanzania (material available online).
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