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OHCHR, along with the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, DPKO and UNDP, worked on the operationalization of the team of experts to be deployed to situations of particular concern with respect to sexual violence in armed conflict, in order to assist national authorities to strengthen the rule of law, as called for under Security Council Resolution 1888. At the headquarters level, UNDP and other UN entities have developed a joint programme document and secured seed funding from the UN Action Against Sexual Violence Multi-donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for an initial six month period to recruit and put in place the team of experts. Hide

In Somaliland, Somalia, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) operates in Hargeisa, as a ‘one-stop’ location, where victims of SGBV can receive medical care, counselling, free legal advice and representation. The victims are also given the opportunity to report the assault to the police. In Puntland, in Somalia, the Puntland Elders Network has been established in line with the State Conference for Traditional Leaders of Puntland Declaration, according to which the elders are committed, inter alia, to refer cases of rape to the formal justice system. Hide

UNFPA is a key partner, along with the Centre for Diseases Control, the Clinton Global Initiative and UNICEF, in a research programme on ending sexual violence against girls, that has been rolled out in 4 countries. Hide

In Sierra Leone, UNDP provided grants to 6 civil society organisations to provide support services to SGBV victims, including legal aid, primarily in Bo and Makeni. The referral mechanism for SGBV cases has been enhanced across communities and several perpetrators have been convicted. Services provided by civil society organisations to victims of SGBV has also led to the conviction of several perpetrators. UNDP also supported legal aid clinics in the Kivus area, located in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in the conviction of several perpetrators of SGBV. UNDP is supporting the Family Support Units in the Police, both in Sierra Leone and DRC, by developing guidelines on SGBV case management and by ensuring the necessary equipment for their implementation. Hide

In DRC,in order to strengthen assistance and support to victims of sexual violence, OHCHR has assembled a high-level panel of experts that will convene in the end of September 2010. The panel, led by the Deputy High Commissioner, will hold a series of hearings in various parts of the DRC with survivors of sexual violence as well as other actors. It will examine how victims perceive and evaluate institutional responses to the crimes committed against them. Ultimately, this project will provide a much needed advocacy tool not only for developing a reparations mechanism for all victims of sexual violence, but also for addressing the many weaknesses in the judicial system that affect prosecution of this crime in the DRC. Hide

UNFPA organized the panel of the Commission on the Status of Women on “Women, Peace and Security”. Hide

UNHCR and the U.S.Center for Disease Control (CDC) continue to work together on a population based survey on the magnitude of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) and the barriers to protection and other services among refugee populations. A feasibility mission was carried out in one refugee settlement and one urban site in Uganda. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste worked on the Draft Laws on Reparations, through an OHCHR-funded consultant, tasked with producing the original draft laws, and the follow-up institution for the truth commissions, such as the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) and the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF), advocating for the inclusion of victims of sexual violence. Hide

UNHCR continues work through the newly established Stabilization and Recovery (STAREC) funding in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. UNHCR received support for its consolidated program in South Kivu and Ituri provinces in the east. The main activities will be developing standard sensitization tools, training of military personnel and National Police, bolstering the capacity of community networks and targeted groups to better prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence, and facilitation of the establishment of community networks and mediation committees. Hide

In DRC, the MONUSCO Sexual Violence Unit (Office of the DSRSG-Ro) created an inter-section forum on data collection and sharing with the aim to find a solution with respect to the collection of reliable data on sexual violence. Led by the UN Joint Human Rights Office, a common MONUSCO database was developed, in order to provide more accurate data on sexual violence cases, collected by the Mission’s Military and Civilian Sections. Another project, aimed at increasing and better managing available information on perpetrators of serious human rights violations, is the Profiling Exercise of MONUSCO Human Rights Division, jointly carried out by MONUSCO, UNDP and OHCHR. The project focuses on members of the Congolese security services, especially those in the upper echelons or ranks, with a special focus on their human rights records. The Profiling Team has created a database which will link commanders to serious human rights violations (including sexual violence but not exclusively), clarify current and former command structures of security services and armed groups and serve as the basis for creating detailed profiles of such individuals. This database is still being developed and data is being entered. The database will be fully operational in February 2011. OHCHR is carrying out a mapping of major violations of human rights and humanitarian law, including sexual violence, committed in the DRC from 1993 to 2003. OHCHR’s Mapping Report will be released on 1 October with the objective to enable the Government of the DRC to identify appropriate transitional justice mechanisms to deal with the legacy of these violations. Hide