Search
In Sri Lanka, WFP is working alongside UNFPA and the Government of Sri Lanka through its ‘Change’ Project. The project aims to tackle gender equality and women’s empowerment through improved nutrition, food security, sexual and reproductive health, and access to health services in post-conflict Sri Lanka.
In DPRK, WFP is working alongside the UNCT to develop a 2020 work plan with the UNCT. This includes new elements i.e. ’gender equality score’ and ‘human rights score’ incorporated across themes.
In DRC, WFP continues to support the Panzi Hospital to support victims of Gender Based Violence. WFP supports through emergency food and nutrition blanket supplementary feeding programme – which includes nutritious filled food to boost recovery to survivors.
In Malawi, the United Nations Joint Programme on Girls Education (UNJPGE) has aimed to systematically address obstacles faced by adolescent girls and boys and finding solutions that are transforming the reality of communities. The joint programme approach provides a platform for three UN agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA and WFP) to explore integrated approaches and create synergies for impact, putting an emphasis on enjoyment of rights for those vulnerable children, particularly by keeping girls in school. Since the project began in 2014, average school enrolment rates have increased by 31% and 43.5% report a decrease in the number of girls experiencing sexual violence or abuse. WFP is providing homegrown school meals linked to JPGE to more than 169,000 students. Fresh food is bought locally from 12,000 smallholder farmers who also directly benefit from the programme.
In Nepal, advocacy measures were taken on November 25 with a strong voice on Orange the World: Gender Equality to End Sexual and Gender Based Violence (SGBV). WFP Nepal Country Office also marked the opening ceremony of the international campaign with a group photo followed by opening remarks from the Country Director, Pippa Bradford and guest speaker Dr. Aruna Uprety, Nutritionist and Women Rights Activist. The country director expressed her serious concern over the global and national figure revealing incidences and situation of women and girls facing gender-based violence. Similarly, Dr Uprety spoke out about “Chhaupadi” a menstrual exclusion as a one of the cultural violence that subjugate and oppress girls and women from far west region in Nepal. In addition, she also highlighted the adverse impact of such practices on women and girls’ health, education and safety. The office also celebrating the whole 16 days through spreading SGBV messages and videos among staff and concluded the event with powerful story and inspirational message from burn survivor young woman on the closing day of the campaign i.e. December 10. The event was organized with the support of small task force group members representing programme and support function units.
In an op-ed published by Friends of Europe, the High Representative for Disarmament stated that gender must be at the heart of arms policy and highlighted the impact of weapons, in particular small arms, on the prevalence of sexual violence in conflict.
The High Representative for Disarmament spoke during the Global Week of Action Against Gun Violence saying that intimate partner violence is even more perilous when guns are involved, abetting sexual and domestic violence, and potentially femicide. She called for governments to deny access to guns to those who have been convicted of domestic or interpersonal violence, saying that through gender-responsive legislation and licensing policies, violence against women can be punished, prevented and eliminated.
High Representative for Disarmament participated in a thematic panel on gender and gender-based violence during the of Fifth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (CSP5) and called for deepened understanding and implementation of gender-responsive arms control. [Gender and gender-based violence (GBV) was the thematic priority of Fifth Conference of States Parties to the Arms Trade Treaty (CSP5) 2019 and in the final report of the conference, States agreed to strengthen the ability of States Parties to apply the GBV risk assessment criteria and to review progress on an ongoing basis.
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace, Disarmament and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean (UNLIREC) held two sub-regional seminars on “Preventing Armed Violence Against Women Through Arms Control” targeting national authorities from Central America (in El Salvador) [Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua and Panama. Also participating were officials and experts from UNDP, UNODC, UN Women, the Organization of American States, the Central American Integration System, and the Center of Excellence for Statistical Information on Government, Crime, Victimization and Justice] and Caribbean States (in Trinidad and Tobago) [ Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Guyana, Jamaica, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent and the Grenadines, and Suriname. 12 civil society organizations participated, as well as 3 regional organizations. ] with direct responsibilities in arms control and prevention of violence against women and girls. The seminars focused on arms control as a fundamental pillar of public policies aimed at preventing and reducing violence against women. They likewise provided opportunities for non-governmental organizations and government representatives from the two sub-regions to exchange ideas, discuss strategies, and consider possibilities for joint initiatives to address challenges vis-a-vis armed violence against women.
The United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) organized a “Workshop for Pacific Island States on Gun Violence and Illicit Small-Arms Trafficking from a Gender Perspective” in Fiji where sexual violence and violence against women was a core part of the discussions with civil society organizations and parliamentarians from the Pacific [Fiji, Papa New Guinea, Samoa, Solomon Island and Vanuatu]. It was the final sub-regional workshop in a series of training events.
The United Nations Trust Fund in support of actions to eliminate violence against women is a global, multilateral grant-making mechanism that supports efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls. The Trust Fund, which was established in 1996 by the General Assembly in its resolution 50/166, is administered by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) on behalf of the United Nations system. With the strong institutional support of UN Women and its regional, multi-country and country offices, and working closely with the rest of the United Nations system through its inter-agency Programme Advisory Committee, the Trust Fund plays a vital role in driving forward collective efforts to prevent and eliminate violence against women and girls.
UNODC is the permanent coordinator and secretariat of the Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Trafficking in Persons (ICAT), established by the General Assembly. The principles of gender equality and the empowerment of women underpin the work of ICAT. For instance, in 2019, ICAT published a brief on the gender dimensions of human trafficking and UNODC coordinated the development of the ICAT submission to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) to support the development of a general recommendation on trafficking in women and girls in the context of global migration.
UNODC is part of the UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action) and has implemented projects funded by the UN Action Multi-Partner Trust Fund.
In 2019, DPPA continued to engage as an active member of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict (UN Action), which aims to improve coordination and accountability, amplify programming and advocacy, and support national efforts to prevent and address conflict-related sexual violence. DPPA also actively contributed to the UN Standing Committee on WPS, the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality (IANGWE), as well as the Global Compact Working Group on Gender-Sensitive Approaches to Preventing and Countering Terrorism.
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 2019 to address the theme “My City, My Space”. To accompany the competition, ESCWA ran a social media campaign throughout the 16 Days, which included facts about violence and harassment of women in the public sphere, as well as videos of women from around the region talking about what a safe city means for them.
ESCWA in partnership with the Asfari Institute for Civil Society and Citizenship facilitated a gender discussion serie, open to all members of the community on “Women and extremism in the Arab region”.
ESCWA in partnership with UN Women and UNFPA developed an interactive online tool on costing VAW in English and Arabic. The interactive tool is a user-friendly platform created to assist the viewer in understanding why and how costing VAW can support governments and service providers in developing a targeted response to eradicating VAW while ensuring comprehensive and empowering services for survivors.
ODA promoted the Modular Small-arms-control Implementation Compendium (MOSAIC) module on “Women, men and the gendered nature of small arms and light weapons”.
At the Third United Nations Conference to Review Progress Made in the Implementation of the Programme of Action, States agreed on progressive language on gender in the outcome document, including, for the first time, the recognition that eradicating the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons is a key part of combating gender-based violence. UNODA provided substantive secretariat support to the Review Conference, including regional consultations. Additionally, the United Nations Regional Centre for Peace and Disarmament in Asia and the Pacific (UNRCPD) held a dedicated session on a gendered approach to the UN Programme of Action (PoA) on Small Arms and Light Weapons at a regional preparatory meeting the for the Third Review Conference on the PoA.
UNODC organized an Expert Group Meeting on interlinkages of trafficking in persons with marriage, including forced, child, temporary and sham marriages, bringing together international experts in the field for the development of a UNODC issue paper on these issues (to be published in mid 2019.
In Guatemala, UNODC supported the establishment of an inter-institutional coordination roundtable with the National Police and the Attorney-General’s Office for the investigation of cases of violence against women and assisted both institutions in the development of joint investigation plans and protocols on the subject.