United Nations Development Programme
Background
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) advocates for change and connects countries to knowledge, experience and resources to help people build a better life. UNDP works with countries to build their own solutions to global and national development challenges and achieve the Millennium Development Goals. UNDP helps developing countries attract and use aid effectively and encourages the protection of human rights and the empowerment of women in all its activities. UNDP chairs the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict.
Areas of Focus
UNDP’s role is to contribute strategically and catalytically to growing national ability to promote equality and capability of all citizens. All UNDP program personnel, working in every focus area, are obliged to mainstream GBV considerations into their work because it has major implications for the successful attainment of the MDGs, and is a component of the fight against gender discrimination, an endeavor which cuts across all UNDP activity. UNDP focuses on all types of violence against women, including vulnerabilities arising out of trafficking in women and children, HIV/AIDS, disaster, conflict and post-conflict situations.
UNDP is participating in the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements (MARA) Working Group whereby the UN System as a whole works together to combat Conflict-related Sexual Violence (CRSV).
The purpose of MARA is to ensure the systematic gathering of reliable and objective information on CRSV that will be used to promote action to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual violence. The information collected should inform strategic advocacy, enhance prevention and programmatic responses for survivors and serve as the basis for Security Council action, including imposing sanctions and other targeted measures. UNDP as part of the MARA working group, contributes inputs for the quarterly reports that are sent to the OSRSG and other relevant stakeholders on CRSV. UNDP also contributes to the SG thematic reports on CRSV.Additionally, UNDP Pakistan, through its Community Stabilization Programme, has established referral mechanisms for women in post-conflict (Swat) and fragile situations (Multan). In both locations, a mobile Gender Desk Officer reached out to community women to collect their grievances and link them with existing social services – including to medical or psycho-social support as well to protection mechanisms in cases of sexual violence and more broadly gender-based violence.
UNODC was involved in the work of the global focal point for police, justice and corrections in post-conflict and other crisis situations, in relation to joint field missions, planning and programming, and in strategic and operational discussions at headquarters. Led by UNDP and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in partnership with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN-Women and UNODC, the global focal point supports UN country presences in mission and non-mission settings.
In South Sudan, UNDP supported in 2014 special policy units that included women police and which were able to handle 1,137 Sexual and Gender Based Violence cases. In 2015, UNDP helped to increase safety and security for all. The Special Protection Units processed 113 cases, 39 related to GBV and 74 related to children in conflict with the law.