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UNRWA has continued to regularly participate in the various UN taskforces, such as the UN Country Team Gender Taskforce, which aim to build national strategies to end violence against women in Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In the latter, UNRWA has continued addressing gender-based violence through its participation in interventions and activities within the Millenium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) Gender equality and Women’s Empowerment Project (Joint agency project). Hide

UNRWA conducted training on gender-based violence, detection and referral of survivors, for community-based organizations and Health Ministry representatives, including in Gaza and the West Bank. Hide

UNRWA organized several awareness-raising initiatives, such as in Lebanon in partnership with the General Union of Palestinian Women, in a UNRWA health clinic. Hide

UNRWA, supporting the gender-based violence campaign in Palestine and connecting it to the International Year of Volunteers +10 (IYV+10), highlighted the importance of volunteerism in achieving results in fighting gender-based violence. One initiative was UNRWA’s use of a questionnaire to collect data on gender based violence in the Palestinian refugee camps. UNV mobilized around 300 local volunteers particularly university students. The added value of this partnership was that the volunteers considered themselves as recipients of this campaign. Hide

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign, UN entities supported and/or organized several initiatives, in partnership with multiple stakeholders. In Gaza, Jordan, Syria and the West Bank, UNRWA organized interactive theatrical performances, puppet shows, athletic activities, awareness sessions and lectures, as well as speeches by Imams at mosques – all highlighting the need to end gender based violence. Hide

UNRWA continues its collaboration with UNICEF in Jordan to address violence in schools against girls and boys and to establish mechanisms in the health centres to address child abuse. During 2010 UNRWA focused on building referral systems. In Syria, UNRWA has identified its mechanism of referral in Yarmouk and Deraa camps, and worked to enhance staff capacities for detection of gender-based violence victims. In West Bank, UNRWA has collaborated with various stakeholders to develop its referral system, based on a community participation approach, and to organise trainings for medical staff. In Gaza, UNRWA is establishing one-stop shop centres, and has identified the role of staff involved in the process. In Jordan, UNRWA has been working with local partners towards the establishment of a referral system, and has commenced the mapping of external partners to provide support services to victims of gender-based violence. Hide

In West Bank and Gaza, UNRWA is involved in the UN Country Team gender taskforce, by implementing the component addressing gender-based violence in the joint UN MDG gender programme “gender equality and women’s empowerment in oPT”. Hide

UNRWA conducted several trainings in West Bank and Gaza reaching members of the community involved in services provision, women, men and religious leaders on the provision of assistance to victims of gender-based violence. Hide

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence campaign, UNRWA, in collaboration with various stakeholders, organised events in Gaza, Jordan, Syria, and West Bank, involving its health, education, relief and social services programmes. Activities included photograph exhibitions, mobile theatres, awareness events and poetry. UNRWA, in Gaza, held awareness-raising workshops on the role of the international instruments in fighting gender-based violence, where UNRWA teachers participated. Hide

In Jordan, UNRWA and UNICEF supported the Ministry of Health in developing guidelines (pilot version) for medical and paramedical staff on addressing violence against women. UNRWA organized a workshop with practitioners from all over the region to develop lessons learned that were documented in the first issue of UNRWA Gender Series on referral systems for victims of violence. Hide