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A global conference in New Delhi in 2015 brought together over 140 participants from 24 countries. Based on accumulating experiences and evidence-based strategies, they agreed on a series of recommendations, such as to include gender across all public safety and public transport policies, to broaden women’s access to technology as part of comprehensive approaches to prevent violence in public spaces, and to strengthen programmes with youth, schools and media that promote changes in attitudes and behaviours among men and boys.

UN Women launched the Global Database on Violence against Women website during the Commission on the Status of Women 2016. The Global Database is an online resource, designed to provide comprehensive and up-to-date information on measures taken by 193 United Nations Member States to address all forms of violence against women, in the areas of laws and policies, prevention, services, and statistical data. It also serves as an important tool to monitor the implementation of SDGs and its target areas on violence against women. The Global Database is one of three websites on the Global Knowledge Platform to End Violence against Women. The platform aims to improve knowledge and coordination among different actors in order to address violence against women more effectively, and it offers a comprehensive picture of interventions addressing VAW, both by Governments as well as by the UN system. In addition to the Global Database, the other two websites on the platform are: the Inventory of UN Activities to End Violence against Women, and the Virtual Knowledge Centre to End Violence against Women and Girls.

UNODC was involved in the work of the global focal point for police, justice and corrections in post-conflict and other crisis situations, in relation to joint field missions, planning and programming, and in strategic and operational discussions at headquarters. Led by UNDP and the Department of Peacekeeping Operations, in partnership with Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), UN-Women and UNODC, the global focal point supports UN country presences in mission and non-mission settings.

In Albania, UN Women has worked with civil society groups, the government and media to stop human trafficking that feeds the sex trade. A national campaign has raised awareness, including through a powerful anti-trafficking video broadcast on national television. A 30-member Advisory Media Forum supports professional and ethical reporting among journalists by providing information and training, and tracking gaps in accuracy of reporting. Since employment or small enterprise by women can be among the most critical elements of successful reintegration for trafficking survivors, UN Women has helped service providers in shelters stress economic empowerment as core to their assistance.

In Viet Nam in 2015, UN Women provided technical support to the Ministry of Education and Training to develop a circular that will provide guidance to schools nationwide to introduce counseling services to help students deal with issues such as school-related gender based violence (SRGBV) and difficulties in gender relations. This is in response to growing evidence that SRGBV, especially cyber harassment has become common and increasingly complicated recently. The circular is currently being reviewed by the Government and is expected to be approved by the Prime Minister in August 2016.

As part of the Phase II of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on FGM/C, to strengthen the inter-linkages between VAWG and harmful practices such as FGM/C, and address the root causes of such violence, UN Women has developed is developing policy document on essential elements to end FGM/C as a form of VAWG, in addition to a training module on gender and FGM/C, to accompany the UNFPA-UNICEF Manual on Social Norms and Change.

UN Women, in collaboration with UNFPA and the Turkish Government, held a Global Meeting on “Ending Violence against Women: Building on Progress to Accelerate Change” in December 2015 in Istanbul, Turkey, at which over 150 high-level representatives from over 40 Member States, the Council of Europe, civil society and United Nations entities attended. At the meeting, participants exchanged experiences and renewed their committment to ending violence against women, such as strengthening Government mechanisms for the prevention of and responses to VAW; implementing comprehensive national programmes and involving men and boys as part of the solution.

Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality organized a session on Ending Violence againt Women during the 15th Annual session of the IANWGE with panelists from UN Women and UNODC in March 2016.

In June, 2016, UN Women held Results-Sharing Meeting on Leveraging Technical Tools, Evidence and Community Engagement to Advance the Implementation of Laws and Provision of Services to Women Experiencing Violence in South-East Asia. Over 40 government officials, UN Women officers and Civil Society Organizations across South-East Asia region shared results from EVAW work, affirming the importance of a two-tier approach, where policy-level interventions are undertaken in parallel to interventions at the community level.

The Global Study on resolution 1325 is a review of 15 years of effort on the part of Member States, Civil Society, UN agencies and the international community to implement this groundbreaking resolution and move the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda forward. The Study was led by independent expert Radhika Coomaraswamy, and was developed based on a series of regional consultations with Civil Society Organizations as well as in-depth research commissioned by leading experts in the WPS field. The Study represents the most comprehensive and updated compilation of the growing evidence that women’s empowerment contributes to the success of peace talks and the achievement of sustainable peace, accelerates economic recovery, strengthens our peace operations, improves our humanitarian assistance, and can help counter violent extremism. According to the Global Study, the main reason for the gap between the robustness of our normative frameworks and the weakness of our implementation on the ground is lack of political will, accountability and resources, and institutional and attittudinal barriers. In the last 15 years, there have been long lists of recommendations but few sticks and carrots to induce compliance, and the Global Study provides key findings and concrete recommendations for implementing 1325, and subsequent WPS resolutions, across a number of areas.