Support for Policy Development

In October 2011, UNFPA held the global meeting in Viet Nam on “Skewed sex ratios and why we care the way forward” in collaboration with the Viet Nam UNCT and the Government of Viet Nam with the objectives of: 1) taking stock of emerging trends/state of the art relating to new geographical pockets of skewed sex ratios and subsequently determining strategies for south-south cooperation, especially since some countries, like in the Caucasus, are demonstrating an emerging trend in terms of an imbalanced sex ratio at birth and since other countries like Viet Nam and India have demonstrated some good practices in working with national counterparts to address the issue; and 2) sharing UNFPA and other stakeholders’ experiences on policy development and programming on this issue. Hide

In November 2011, based on the recommendations of “The UNAIDS Action for Results: Outcomes Framework 2009-2011”, a multi-stakeholder meeting was held in Istanbul. UNFPA, in collaboration with UNDP, UNWOMEN, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and the MenEngage Alliance (Sonke Gender Justice and the Athena Network) and in close collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, will support select pilot countries for roll-out of policy development work in 2012 as identified in the Istanbul meeting. Hide

In Cameroon, OHCHR contributed to the elaboration of the Cameroon National Gender policy, which frames the national effort to combat gender-based violence. Hide

In November 2011, UNODC in cooperation with UN Women, UNFPA and UNDP and relevant national authorities, organized a joint conference on the role and responsibilities of the State to respond to domestic violence against women in Viet Nam. About 90 officials attended the conference, both from national and local level representing five different Ministries as well as civil society. Hide

In November 2011, UNAIDS contributed to a consultation with representatives from 15 countries on how to better address gender-based violence and engagement of men and boys in national HIV responses. Country representatives are developing national action plans to integrate strategic action to eliminate violence against women into their national HIV response. Hide

In Honduras, the World Bank approved a Development Policy Credit in 2011 with a component on Citizen Security, including prevention of gender-based domestic and sexual violence. Proposed policies will strengthen the capacity of municipal Offices of Women’s Affairs to respond to victims and offer conflict mediation services. Hide

A workshop, organised in partnership with WHO, UNAIDS and UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, , was held in Kenya in December 2010 to address the integration of gender-based violence into national AIDS strategies. Hide

Former UNIFEM now part of UN Women provided advisory services for the development of the National Action Plan to Implement Measures for the Elimination of Domestic Violence and Protection of Victims of Domestic Violence (2011-2012) in Georgia; the Multi-Sectoral National Action Plan on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in St. Kitts and Nevis; the National Gender-Based Violence Plan of Action (2010-2013) in Belize and Gender Based Violence, Responses and Complaints Protocols in Grenada and Belize; for the formulation of Kosovo’s Draft Strategy and Action Plan against Domestic Violence; and for Nigeria’s development of the Action Plan to Promote enactment of anti-GBV legislation. In Burundi, advocacy for the implementation of the National Strategy to Fight against sexual gender-based violence resulted in national budget allocations to the Ministry of Gender and the Ministry of Justice, including to establish sexual gender-based violence focal points in 6 ministries. Hide

UNICEF has provided support to policy development addressing violence against girls including through the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme to Accelerate the Abandonment of FGM/C. Hide

Almost all of the 142 country offices of UNFPA have a country programme on addressing gender-based violence or on violence against girls. UNFPA is leading the efforts of the Gender-based Violence cluster to address gender-based violence in Haiti. Hide