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UNFPA engages in advocacy and policy dialogue at national, regional and global levels, to accelerate action towards ending gender-based violence and harmful practices. By the end of 2020, as many as 114 UNFPA Regional and Country Offices were involved in strengthening national legislation and policy.

 

For example, Gender-biased Sex Selection and Son Preference programmes are spearheading a movement to end GBSS through the development of national costed action plans, policy and legal reforms as well as through a broad sweeping social movement aimed at changing harmful gender norms that drive male preference.

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UNFPA provides direct technical assistance to governments in developing, strengthening, and implementing policies for GBV prevention, response, and survivor support. This includes legal frameworks, national action plans, standard operating procedures (SOPs), emergency preparedness and response plans, and gender-sensitive policies across humanitarian, peace, and development contexts. UNFPA collaborates with ministries, parliamentarians, and other stakeholders to integrate GBV prevention into national development plans, social protection systems, and SRHR policies, including Universal Health Coverage. 

At the global and regional levels, UNFPA supports key international frameworks such as the Beijing Platform for Action, the SDGs, and UN Security Council Resolutions. 

Notable achievements include: 

• Nigeria: Strengthened partnership with the First Lady, leading to the first National Summit on Social Norms and GBV, which resulted in a national commitment to upholding the dignity and rights of women and girls. 
• North Macedonia (2021–2024): Supported a Multi-Sectoral Response Protocol, facilitated 11 bylaws (7 adopted), developed SOPs for Sexual Assault Referral Centres, finalized a survivor reintegration program, and supported the evaluation of the National Action Plan on implementing the Istanbul Convention (2018–2023), endorsed in 2024. 
• Latin America & the Caribbean: Advanced survivor-centred approaches in multi-sectoral response protocols across nine countries (Mexico, Peru, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Bolivia, Guatemala, Honduras, and Ecuador). 

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Under the “UNAIDS Action for Results: Outcomes Framework “ (2009-2011), UNFPA, UNDP, UN WOMEN, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and the MenEngage Alliance (Sonke Gender Justice and the Athena Network), also in close collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV – supported countries to address the linkages between GBV and HIV/AIDS in National Strategic Plans; building effective partnerships to achieve this; and strengthening capacity to engage men and boys for promoting and addressing gender equality. Hide

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

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

UNFPA is leading the coordination efforts of the gender-based violence cluster to address GBV/VAW in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake. UNFPA Country Offices – in more than 32 countries – are operationalizing various components of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, under the four pillars of the Resolution. UNFPA’s partnership with UNICEF globally and in 17 country offices in co-chairing and implementing activities under the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme and Trust Fund on Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) and activities under the Trust Fund are ongoing. Hide

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

In Viet Nam and the Lao Peoples’ Democratic Republic, UNFPA has worked at the policy level with the Ministries of Health and relevant partners to advocate for appropriate health care policies and resources for ethnic minority regions.In Bolivia, UNFPA’s advocacy efforts led to the inclusion of sexual and reproductive health and rights and the elimination of violence against women in the five-year Plan for Women’s Equality. In Jordan, UNFPA undertook advocacy and policy dialogues on the importance of integrating gender-based violence issues in health plans and programmes. Hide

UNFPA country offices in Ghana, Malawi, Mozambique, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, the Dominican Republic and Peru developed national policies in 2008 to support efforts to end gender-based violence. Hide