Capacity Building for UN

In October 2009, the UNAIDS Executive Director established a Task Force, comprised of a wide range of stakeholders, to advise on the development of an Operational Plan for the UNAIDS Action Framework on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, which was endorsed at the Board meeting in December 2009. The Action Framework and Operational Plan outline core responsibilities for the UN in advancing work on women, girls and HIV at all levels.

As part of its Investigations Learning Programme (ILP), the Investigations Division of OIOS has successfully launched a Sexual Exploitation and Abuse Basic Investigations Training Course for the various investigative entities in the UN system, such as Military Police and Special Investigations Units.

In its risk assessment of Secretariat departments, offices, regional commissions and peacekeeping and political missions, OIOS identified governance and organizational arrangements as a high risk area. OIOS had conducted, in 2008, an audit of the management of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues (OSAGI) and the Division for the Advancement of Women (DAW) within the Department of Economic and Social Affairs (DESA). OIOS recommended that DESA, in consultation with the Secretary-General, should consolidate OSAGI and DAW into one single programme within DESA.

The World Bank office for the region of Latin America and the Carribean held an internal learning event on gender-based violence, focusing on challenges in the measurement of gender-based violence and in the costing of its effects; on policy implications; and possible interventions and links to the Bank’s operations.

The UNAIDS Gender Guidance for National AIDS Responses was distributed to field offices. In November 2008, UNAIDS established a US$3 million dollar window in the UNAIDS Programme Acceleration Fund (PAF) mechanism to assist Joint UN AIDS Teams to catalyze country level action on gender and AIDS, including programming on violence against women and its intersections with HIV.

WFP scaled up its integration of gender and protection into field operations and programming. By the end of 2008, 500 staff members and partners were trained on protection issues. The training also included prevention and response to gender-based violence during food distributions.

At global level, UNICEF co-led the gender-based violence area of responsibility of the Protection Cluster Working Group and participated in the ECHA/ECPS UN and NGO Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse, and the working group on victims’ assistance developing a guide to support the implementation of the General Assembly Resolution “United Nations Comprehensive Strategy on Assistance and Support to Victims of Sexual Exploitation and Abuse by United Nations Staff and related Personnel”.

In January 2009, UNRWA implemented its sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) policy "Prohibition of discrimination, harassment - including sexual harassment and abuse of power", supported by agency-wide training. The Agency researched initiatives to address violence against women within the region to determine best practices.

During 2008, all UNHCR offices were required to view and discuss the film “To Serve with Pride”, produced by the ECHA/ECPS UN/NGO Task Force on Protection from Sexual Exploitation and Abuse. UNHCR has also taken the lead in developing guidance for field offices in setting up community-based complaints mechanisms for sexual exploitation and abuse.

UNHCR has developed a Strategic Plan for Reproductive Health (2008-2012), including key sexual and gender-based violence strategies on the establishment of policies, guidelines and programmes to prevent and respond to sexual and gender-based violence; clinical management and protocols for rape survivors; access to early diagnosis; and care and treatment for rape survivors.