Feb 2008 - Sept 2008

In February 2008, DPKO/DFS sent a Code Cable to all DPKO/DFS Field Offices on improved and systematic reporting on sexual violence to the Security Council, as had been requested during the 2007 open debate on resolution 1325 (2000). A further Code Cable was sent in June 2008, following the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008).

The DPKO/DFS Policy Directive on Gender Equality in United Nations Peacekeeping Operations (November 2006) highlights DPKO/DFS obligation and commitment to address and prevent sexual and gender-based violence against women in post-conflict contexts, including sexual exploitation and abuse committed by civilian and uniformed personnel.

In July 2008, the Executive Committee on Peace and Security (ECPS), chaired by DPA, discussed the issue of sexual violence in conflict and Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008). it was agreed that ECPS would continue to receive regular briefings. The Under-Secretary-General of DPA sent a note to all ECPS members and relevant field presences requesting them to include a paragraph on the implementation of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008) in their reporting to the Security Council.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, advocated for the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) on sexual violence in conflict. As Chair of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNDP/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) advocated with Security Council members for the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008).

UNHCR’s Handbook for the Protection of Women and Girls (March 2008) describes the protection challenges faced by displaced women and girls and explains how UNHCR and partners work together to promote gender equality, in particular, to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence through a rights and community-based approach.

The “UNFPA Strategy and Framework of Action to Addressing Gender-based Violence, 2008-2011” has been widely disseminated. A booklet entitled “Gender Snapshot: UNFPA Programming at Work” has been published. It includes a chapter on gender-based violence prevention and response.

In February 2008, UN-INSTRAW, now part of UN Women, in collaboration with the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF) and the OSCE Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), published the Gender and Security Reform Toolkit that aim to support gender mainstreaming; the participation of women in the security sector; the capacity-building of the security sector to respond to violence against women.

UN-HABITAT and UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, held a joint workshop during the International Seminar “Cities without Violence, Safe Cities for Women and Girls”, in July 2008 in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and presented a joint training initiative on women’s safety audits for cities in Latin America and the Caribbean.

In Burundi, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, , UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF worked together to provide training and reporting assistance for civil society organizations and police to improve statistics and data collection on cases of gender-based violence.

UNHCR organized training courses using the WHO/UNHCR Clinical Management of Rape Guidelines in East Africa and Asia.