Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

In May 2010, seven UN agencies (UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO) have launched a three-year UN Joint Program "Ending violence against women - a national priority for Kyrgyzstan". Four strategic compenents of the program include: 1) strengthening policy framework, including through the implementation of the recommendations of the UN human bodies and procedures; 2) improving official data collection system and analysis of collected data; 3) awareness-raising, sensititation and capacity-building with the view to change gender stereotypes; 4) protecting and helping survivors of gender-based violence. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste worked on the Draft Laws on Reparations, through an OHCHR-funded consultant, tasked with producing the original draft laws, and the follow-up institution for the truth commissions, such as the Commission for Reception, Truth and Reconciliation (CAVR) and the Commission for Truth and Friendship (CTF), advocating for the inclusion of victims of sexual violence. Hide

As Protection Cluster chair, the OHCHR promoted coordination on strategy and advocacy among actors working to address violence against women in Timor-Leste. Hide

OHCHR, along with the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, DPKO and UNDP, worked on the operationalization of the team of experts to be deployed to situations of particular concern with respect to sexual violence in armed conflict, in order to assist national authorities to strengthen the rule of law, as called for under Security Council Resolution 1888. At the headquarters level, UNDP and other UN entities have developed a joint programme document and secured seed funding from the UN Action Against Sexual Violence Multi-donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for an initial six month period to recruit and put in place the team of experts. Hide

The Regional Office of the OHCHR in Panama has provided, occasionally together with UNDP, technical support for the elaboration of a law on violence against women, which is expected to be adopted on 25 November 2010. Hide

The Panama Regional Office of the OHCHR undertook training activities in Panama in connection with the Universal Periodic Review. Women’s organizations participated in trainings for the civil society and made submissions to the process. The OHCHR also provided training to Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo de la Mujer (ISDEMU) in El Salvador, for the preparation of the follow-up report to CEDAW’s concluding observations. The follow-up report will focus on priority recommendations, including on efforts to eradicate violence against women. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste provided a human rights commentary on the draft law against domestic violence. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste monitored the response of the formal justice system to reported cases of violence against women, including whether traditional justice mechanisms are given priority in such cases. In March 2010, through participation in working groups, the OHCHR also provided a human rights and protection commentary on draft governmental policy related to emergency shelters and safe houses for survivors of violence against women. Hide

In El Salvador, officials of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Public Prosecutor Office and the Police participated in an expert seminar, organized by the OHCHR, on legal frameworks to protect women from violence, including femicide. Hide

In Panama, the OHCHR has participated in the Common Country Assessement (CCA)/UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes of Panama throughout 2010 and has an active role in the inter-agency group of gender and the SG UNITE Campaign. The OHCHR organized a human rights-based approach training in Costa Rica, highlighting, inter alia, issues related to women’s rights and violence against women. The OHCHR participated, with a resource person, in a human rights-based approach training, at the UN Staff College, for the UNCT in El Salvador, in connection with the preparation of CCA/UNDAF.Gender Advisors of OHCHR were deployed in four regional offices (Fiji, Lebanon, Panama and Senegal). In the Regional Office in Panama, for example, the role of the Gender Advisor, is to integrate gender analysis into the Office’s areas of work and to raise awareness about violence, against women. Hide