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In September 2007, OHCHR provided support to the sixth session of Human Rights Council, on gender integration, where an expert panel considered ways to ensure the integration of a gender perspective into the work of the Council. During its resumed sixth session in December 2007, the Council adopted a resolution on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system in which it decided to incorporate into its programme of work as a minimum an annual full-day meeting, to discuss the human rights of women.The responsibility to provide support to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was formally transferred to the OHCHR as of 1 January 2008. In addition to logistical and over-all support, discussions were held with the Committee on the provision of analytical assistance on specific thematic issues, such as sexual violence, honour killings, domestic violence and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325. Hide

OHCHR provided training for representatives from human rights organizations in the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt), on women’s rights in general and violence against women in particular. Hide

OHCHR has funded a legal assistance project in Tajikistan for women subjected to domestic violence. UNRWA provided legal aid and counselling through Women Programme Centres. Hide

In September 2007, OHCHR organized a seminar on women and torture, for United Nations and civil society representatives, with the aim of providing input for the thematic report of the Special Rapporteur on Torture, on strengthening the protection of women from torture (A/HRC/7/3), to be presented to Human Rights Council at its seventh session. The report is aimed at ensuring that the torture protection framework is applied in a gender-inclusive manner. Hide

The OHCHR Women’s Rights and Gender Unit, established in 2006, continued the legal analysis with respect to access to justice for victims of sexual violence. An Expert Group Meeting on ‘Prosecution of rape and other forms of sexual violence’ was held in September 2007, with the aim to finalize an OHCHR legal position paper on the subject. Hide

The OHCHR in general and the High Commissioner for Human Rights in particular have continued to raise the issue of violence against women on various occasions, including in connection with the discussion, by the Security Council, of follow up to resolution 1325, in October 2007. Hide

In December 2007, the OHCHR conducted a feasibility mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo to determine the most effective manner for contributing to ensuring accountability for crimes of sexual violence against women and the added value of its active participation in on-going or planned United Nations activities in this regard. Hide