Prevention and Advocacy

As part of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-based Violence yearly campaign, UNODC promoted several awareness-raising initiatives, including: 

In 2024, IOM in alignment with institutional commitments made against the 2021-2025 roadmap of the Call to Action to protect against GBV in emergencies, advanced gender equality and the prevention of gender-based violence through our programmatic interventions aimed at protective outcomes. Recognizing that gender inequality and power imbalances lie at the root causes of GBV, IOM has further reinforced the third pillar of the Institutional Framework for Addressing GBV in Crises, which focuses on GBV prevention.

FAO has enhanced its efforts to prevent and mitigate GBV through community-driven initiatives, including Dimitra Clubs, Farmer Field Schools (FFS), Youth and Junior Farmer Field and Life Schools (YJFFLS),

OHCHR has been taking part in the UNiTE Campaign/16 Days of Activism every year with various activities and communications, providing support to field presences through the preparation of key messages and with the organization of joint events with partners. Every year, OHCHR commemorates the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders as part of the UNiTE/16 Days campaign, highlighting the violence they face and the historical and present role they play in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations.

Violence against women and girls and harmful practices are rooted in harmful social norms, beliefs, and attitudes. To address this, Spotlight Initiative supported prevention strategies that promoted equality and inclusion, including campaigns to end violence against women and transform harmful social norms, beliefs, and attitudes, as well as educational tools.

Peacekeeping missions raise awareness on Sexual and Gender Based Violence through events/media campaigns during the 16 Days of Activism against Gender Based Violence.

UNDP implemented various activities for raising awareness and advocacy to prevent VAWG at both national and local level throughout the year. Through massive events, sessions and campaigns held in cooperation with national authorities and civil societies around the world, thousands of participants were provided with information on types of violence, prevention measures, as well as current laws and state programmes to prevent domestic violence.

UN-Women included two new risk labels in its standardized online risk register that relate to SEA and SH respectively. They have been implemented since Q3 2019. As part of its guidance on the completion of annual risk assessments, since Q4 2019, a questionnaire in the form of a template has been included that is intended to encourage risk focal points/risk owners and relevant staff to consider what risks may apply to their particular office/risk entity. This questionnaire includes the two risk labels related to SEA and SH.

ESCWA, in partnership with the Arab Institute for Women at the Lebanese American University, organized a youth arts competition for the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence 2020 to address the theme “Life in Times of Emergency.” To accompany the competition, ESCWA ran a social media campaign throughout the 16 Days, which included facts about violence against women during different types of emergencies. The campaign closed with a panel of women’s rights activists from the region discussing different facets of activism during conflict, revolution and transition.

During the course of the Strategic Plan 2016-2020, the UN Trust Fund invested USD47 million in projects that solely or partly focused on preventing violence against women and girls.

To disseminate the expertise and knowledge of civil society and women's rights organizations, the UN Trust Fund worked with grantee organizations and researchers to create a series of briefings on preventing violence against women. The organizations' practice-based insights are invaluable to planning, designing and funding interventions aimed at ending violence against women and girls.