Mar 2011 - Jan 2012

In Sub-Saharan Africa, the Learning on Gender and Conflict in Africa (LOGiCA) Multi-Donor Trust Fund (totaling over US $8 million) aims to contribute to peace and security in Sub-Saharan Africa by supporting gender-sensitive activities related to insecurity and violence in conflict-affected and post-conflict countries in the region.

UNFPA continued to be a key partner in the action research programme that has been rolled out in 4 select countries on ending sexual violence against girls and that is being co-led by the Centre for Diseases control, the Clinton Global Initiative and UNICEF.

At the global level, data analysis, drawing largely on Multiple Indicator Cluster Survey (MICS) and Demographic and Health Survey (DHS), is also being undertaken by UNICEF, in collaboration with the Population Council, to determine the markers of vulnerability that make children more susceptible to various forms of violence.

“The Hive: A Knowledge Platform on Fragility, Conflict and Violence” was launched in the Fall of 2011 by the World Bank to connect policymakers and practitioners, and it includes a focus on gender-based violence.

A 2011 study “Sex and Age Matter” produced by the Feinstein International Center and sponsored by OCHA and CARE International demonstrates that the humanitarian community needs to greatly increase its collection and use of sex and age disaggregated data (SADD) to better inform programming.

UN Women supported the Afghanistan Ministry of Women’s Affairs to collect data on violence against women (VAW) and set up a web-based database and coding system on VAW. UN Women and UNDP supported an assessment of gender-based violence (GBV) Prevalence, Trends, Legal Recourse, Impact Focusing on Conflict and Transitional Period in ten selected districts of Terai, Nepal. GBV was found to be widely prevalent during the conflict and the transition phase. Recommendations were made to various government and development agencies and non-governmental organizations.

UN Women developed, as requested by the Secretary-General and in collaboration with DPKO and UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, early warning indicators of conflict-related sexual violence, to be adapted to relevant country-based contexts, integrated into existing and emerging early warning systems, and used by a broad range of protection actors. These indicators were endorsed by the UN Action Steering Committee and will be rolled out in 2012.

OHCHR, UNFPA and other UN agencies participated in the work of the Standing Committee on Women, Peace and Security of INAGWE and in 2011 was closely involved in the development of the 1325 Strategic Framework and in the technical development of relevant 1325 indicators.

As a key member of UN Action as well as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNFPA is actively involved in addressing issues of sexual violence in conflict via ongoing programmatic interventions in countries that are in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings.

The report of the High Level Panel on remedies and reparations for victims of sexual violence in the DRC was launched in March 2011. A joint follow-up project with UN Women was developed and is being implemented. It focuses on the development of small pilot initiatives in the areas of Bukavu and Shabunda, in close consultations with the victims and with the participation of the State. They include economic reinsertion initiatives; symbolic reparations and support for payment of court awarded damages.