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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

As a member of UN Action, UNFPA co-organized inter-agency trainings on violence against women for coordinators in humanitarian settings in 2007 and provided strategic assistance to the UNCT in Darfur (Sudan) and DRC in 2007. UNFPA hosted a workshop in Tunisia during the summer of 2007, on the topic of displaced women in conflict and post-conflict situations. Recommendations from the workshop focused on ways to engage in efforts to accelerate implementation of Security Council 1325. Hide

WHO co-chairs the IASC Sub-working group on gender and humanitarian action and is actively involved, including as members of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, in responding to sexual and gender-based violence in emergencies. Hide

As part of the United Nations Country Team (UNCT) Gender Group, BONUCA contributed to the Consolidated Appeals Process (CAP) with a proposal focusing on sexual and gender-based violence. BONUCA will be part of a task force on with UNICEF, the Inter-agency Standing Committee (IASC) and the Ministry of Social Affairs and National Solidarity, on guidelines for gender-based interventions in humanitarian settings. gender-based violence in humanitarian interventions, which was put in place following a workshop, organized by UNFPA, in cooperation Hide

The OCHA Emergency Relief Coordinator went on mission to the Democratic Republic of the Congo in September 2007 and placed considerable attention on gender-based violence. He followed this up with reports to the Security Council and external media coverage. He hosted the meeting of the Executive Committee on Humanitarian Affairs on the Democratic Republic of the Congo and gender-based violence in December 2007. The meeting further directed the United Nations system to support the field operations (MONUC and the UNCT) to accelerate and strengthen their actions to prevent gender-based violence and respond to survivors. Collective efforts also resulted in an improved mandate for MONUC to address gender-based violence. Hide

UNICEF has played a major role in the new UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict initiative, as Co-Chair of the advocacy working group. Under the auspices of UN Action, UNICEF, together with the women’s rights NGO V-Day is leading a global campaign against sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The Campaign, Stop raping our Greatest Resource: Power to the Women and Girls of DRC was launched in Bukavu, DRC, in November 2007. Hide

A consultation was held to develop the WHO ethical and safety recommendations for researching, documenting and monitoring sexual violence in emergencies. This is now available in English and French, and translation into Arabic is under way. Hide

In December 2007, the Under-Secretary-General of DPA drew the attention of the heads of all DPA field missions to the initiative – UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, and to the Security Council’s Presidential Statement calling on the Secretary-General to include in his reporting to the Council information on violence against women and girls. He noted the Department’s commitment to the principles on which UN Action was based, and requested staff’s compliance with the Security Council’s request. Hide

OCHA is a founding member of the IASC Steering Committee for the Gender Standby Roster (GenCap) which deploys senior gender advisors to work in humanitarian situations. OCHA supported the GenCap Standby capacity to deploy nine senior gender advisers to the offices of Humanitarian Coordinators to ensure strengthened coordination on programmes to address gender-based violence in conflict and displacement. OCHA participated in inter-agency efforts to develop a standard gender-based violence incident reporting system. OCHA spearheaded efforts along with other members of UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict to pay special attention to gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo as well as to the follow-up to the UN Action mission to Darfur, Sudan. Hide

The UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, Goodwill Ambassador launched a global internet-based campaign (www.sayNOtoviolence.org) in consultation with UN sister agencies, NGOs and private sector. UNIFEM is a founding member of and hosts the Secretariat for the UN Action to End Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations. Hide