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In Nepal, informal legal aid desks, operating in police stations, were supported by UNDP. Mobile legal aid clinics in three districts provided free legal services and information to 1524 people (80% were women). The paralegal programme, at the community level, was expanded in 2010 and the paralegal committees received training on gender-based vioelnce and justice, helping to mainstream a national awareness initiative on sexual gender-absed violence. Hide

In Asia-Pacific, the work of the inter-agency initiative “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) was ongoing. Engagingmen.net (www.engagingmen.net) is a website where practitioners can share resources and learn about training opportunities. “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) organized several training sessions to support national social media campaigns in China, India, and Indonesia. Demand Media, a leading online media company and expert in developing social media platforms, provides pro bono support for the national campaigns. In December 2010, P4P organized a meeting with various stakeholders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Fiji, the Philippines and Vietnam, who work to engage boys and men for ending violence against women. The participants agreed to work together to develop regional curricula and a collective approach for knowledge creation and sharing across the region.In December 2010, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) “Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children” met in Port Macquarie, Australia, where male parliamentarians from 13 countries signed a pledge to take action in their own countries and to stand together as a collective group to advocate for more actions for violence prevention among their peers. “Partners for Prevention” is supporting the Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians as a collaborative partner with AFPPD and UNFPA. “Partners for Prevention” and AFPPD are conducting research on the challenges that parliamentarians face in moving prevention policy forward, and on ways to support them in their role in preventing violence. Hide

The UNDP project “Access to Justice” in Nepal supports training and the establishment of community-based paralegals to provide information, awareness, and support for women seeking redress in cases of gender-based violence. Hide

UNDP support for data collection, analysis, and research in the ECIS region has covered topics such as: services available to survivors of sexual gender-based violence in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Serbia, the prevalence of domestic violence in Serbia, and an analysis of the legal and policy framework related to domestic violence in Croatia. Hide

UNDP Argentina, with a view towards guaranteeing access to justice for women, including victims of violence, implemented a joint programme (with UNIFEM, UNICEF, PAHO/WHO, UNFPA, and UNIC) to develop a training protocol on gender and gender-based violence in the judiciary. 120 civil servants were trained and will continue by training others in the 24 provinces, including all judicial staff, during 2011. Hide

Several initiatives in countries in the ECIS region were supported by UNDP to raise awareness and support advocacy work related to sexual gender-based violence. In Kosovo, documentaries were produced and a series of debates were held, including one on the possession of firearms and its potential impact on households and communities in Kosovo. In Kyrgyzstan, multi-stakeholder fora were organized. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, civil society organisations were supported to implement advocacy and awareness-raising campaigns. Several countries organized events and activities around the “16 days of activism” campaign to end violence against women. Kosovo held an SMS campaign and debates with students, Kyrgyzstan hosted a forum promoting the role of women in peace-building, and Croatia organised, in partnership with the Ministry of Interior and Croatian police, a nationwide awareness-raising campaign, where influential Croatian men participated, including the president. Hide

In the ECIS region, legislative development support was provided by UNDP in Kosovo, where the Law on Domestic Violence was adopted. In Serbia, UNDP assisted with drafting recommendations for legislative changes related to sexual gender-based violence. In Nepal, UNDP, in cooperation with UN Women, facilitated the establishment of a witness protection task force which will work on the elaboration of witness protection legislation.In Argentina, UNDP worked with national women´s organizations to plan workshops and create a toolkit to guide stakeholders,on the adoption of laws that ensure a woman’s right to a life free of violence. In El Salvador, UNDP, UNIFEM, and the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID) supported the Women’s Parliamentary Group (GPM), consisted of parliamentarians from all political parties, to incorporate a gender perspective in the parliamentary agenda. UNDP, UNIFEM, AECID, and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU) provided technical assistance to the Family, Women, and Childhood Committee of the Legislative Assembly in relation to a law entitled “Special and Integrated Law for a Life for Women Free of Violence”, which was approved in November 2010.In the Pacific, UNDP continued its support to the Government of the Cook Islands to draft its first comprehensive civil family law, also with provisions on domestic violence, including consultations with national stakeholders. Hide

In Somalia (Somaliland), a referral system, facilitated by UNDP, was established in 2010 through which clan elders refer cases involving serious violations of gender violence to the formal courts. As a result of the new referral system, and the work of the Sexual Assault Referral Centre in Hargeisa (SARC), there has been a 44% increase of sexual violence cases referred to the formal courts, compared to 2009. Hide

In October 2010, UNDP Myanmar organized a discussion forum on the advancement of women, drawing on the Asia-Pacific Human Development Report (APHDR) on Gender, including topics on gender-based violence and trafficking. The panel stressed that cultures and traditions can retain customs that are unfair to women and they need to be addressed. Hide

In Papua New Guinea, UNDP continued to work with faith-based organizations to strengthen the protection and support services for survivors of gender-based violence. UNDP supported the National Council of Women to maintain their protection and support services for survivors at the local level. Hide