UNESCO

United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization

Item ID
{E5332762-DB53-41DD-8D8D-BA48365FB60C}
UNAgency ID
{426FFF42-C295-4238-A48D-D43FF9460F95}
Policy Framework

In its Medium-Term Strategy for 2014-2021, UNESCO accords priority to gender equality in all its fields of competence supported by a dual approach, gender specific programming and gender mainstreaming, in Member States and within the Organization. UNESCO is fully engaged in pursuing this commitment through concrete, substantive programmes and initiatives in all its fields of competence (http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0022/002272/227222e.pdf) as captured in an organization-wide “Priority Gender Equality Action Plan for 2014-2021”.

Background

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) functions as a laboratory of ideas and a standard-setter to forge universal agreements on emerging ethical issues. The Organization also serves as a clearinghouse – for the dissemination and sharing of information and knowledge – while helping Member States to build their human and institutional capacities in diverse fields. UNESCO is working to create the conditions for genuine dialogue based upon respect for shared values and the dignity of each civilization and culture.

 

At its 197th session, UNESCO Executive Board adopted the Roadmap for UNESCO’s programme on preventing and addressing school-related gender-based violence (197 EX/SR.8)

Resources

Searching for Best Practices to Counter Human Trafficking in Africa: A Focus on Women and Children, Thanh-Dam Truong and Maria Belen Angeles, UNESCO 2005

Research papers prepared on “Women in the Conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo”, (2004/2005)
 

URL

http://en.unesco.org/

Mail Address

7 place Fontenoy, 75352 Paris 07 SP, France

Areas of Work

UNESCO primarily addresses the following types of violence against women: inter-personal violence in and out of schools; trafficking in women; women in conflict and post-conflict situations (including the use of rape as a weapon of war). Activities cover various fields of education; the natural sciences; the social and human sciences; culture; and communications and information.

UNESCO has a two-pronged approach to violence against women:
1) A behavioural approach. Through education and with the help of ICTs, UNESCO seeks to build commitment to peace and non-violence in the minds of men and women. This includes the promotion of gender-sensitive human rights education and non-violent conflict resolution approaches. UNESCO’s Human Rights Education programme seeks to bring about a profound reform of education in order to transform attitudes and behaviours that condone violence. It touches upon curriculum development, in-service and pre-service training, textbooks, methodology, classroom management, and the organization of the education system at all levels.
2)A structural approach. Notably through its Social and Human Sciences and Culture Sector programmes, UNESCO looks at the structural causes of violence against women and seeks to encourage holistic and culturally appropriate policy responses towards their elimination.

Agency Type
OTHERS
Title
United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization
Icon
UNESCO

Oct 2008 - Feb 2009 | UNESCO

Within the framework of the commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, UNESCO Doha Office with the collaboration of the Qatar Foundation for Child & Woman Protection organized a workshop on “The International Conventions for the Eradication of Violence and Discrimination against Women & their Reflection on the Qatari Legislations”.

Mar 2011 - Feb 2012 | UNESCO

UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education and UNESCO Hanoi are carrying out a project to promote gender equality in and through textbooks and in teacher training courses. The initiative includes teacher-training programmes in line with the national laws on gender equality and on domestic violence prevention and control.

Mar 2011 - Feb 2012 | UNESCO

Within the framework of UNESCO's International Programme for the Development of Communication (IPDC), which is the only multilateral forum in the UN system designed to mobilize the international community to discuss and promote media development in developing countries, and especially through radio broadcasting, the following projects have been developed:- “Capacity Building of Radio Journalists Working on Gender Violence” in Mexico: a series of workshops will be organized for 40 female and male community radio journalists in human rights, non-sexist language and gender based violence, with a

Mar 2011 - Feb 2012 | UNESCO

On the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UNESCO HQ organized a workshop on policies to prevent VAW. The workshop brought together different stakeholders who engaged in a dialogue on new ways to combat and prevent VAW and enabled them to make recommendations on concrete and realisable policies.

Jul 2007 - Jan 2008 | UNESCO

UNESCO is working on a campaign to fight human trafficking in Africa. UNESCO’s flagship initiative of community multimedia centers (CMC) provides access to information and communication resources in the areas of women’s rights and development, for poor and marginalized women. UNESCO has over 130 CMCs in more than 25 countries.

Jul 2007 - Jan 2008 | UNESCO

UNESCO is organizing awareness-raising activities on the elimination of all forms of violence against women, such as international conferences on the occasion of International Women’s Day (“Gender Equality – Make it your Business” in 2008) and other conferences on relevant topics.

Jul 2007 | UNESCO

In the area of education, UNESCO has produced peace education kits and training in non-violent conflict resolution, which also aim to reduce violence against women (e.g: Education for a Culture of Peace in a Gender Perspective (training manual) in English (2001) and French (2003).UNESCO seeks to promote gender equality in primary and secondary education through curriculum reform.

Feb 2008 - Sept 2008 | UNESCO

As part of its celebration of International Women’s Day 2008, UNESCO‘s Division for Gender Equality, in collaboration with WHO, hosted the première of the documentary “Mutilation, Women’s Cries”, by the French-Gabonese association Kerciné. A UNESCO video spot to raise awareness and combat violence against women entitled “Being Fed Up” was posted online in April 2008 and is available at:http://www.unesco-ci.org/cgi-bin/media/page.cgi?g=Detailed/128.html;d=1
Subscribe to UNESCO