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UNAIDS ensured continued support for implementation of the ‘integration of gender-based violence awareness, prevention and response’ in South Sudan ‘in collaboration with the GBV sub-cluster under the humanitarian response programme (a UNAIDS Secretariat initiative with UNHCR and WFP).
Participation in the Monitoring, Analysis and Reporting Arrangements (MARA) on conflict related sexual violence of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict to promote appropriate timely action to prevent and respond to conflict-related sexual violence; inform strategic advocacy; enhance prevention and programmatic responses for survivors; and contribute to the development of comprehensive strategies to combat sexual violence at country-level.
In South Sudan UNAIDS trained police officers with a particular focus on female officers on prevention of GBV and HIV.
In resolutions 2331 (2016) and 2388 (2017) on trafficking in persons in conflict situations, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to increase the capacity of relevant personnel of UN field missions to identify, respond to and report on situations of trafficking in persons. The Security Council has also underlined the need for Member States to combat crimes, such as the smuggling of migrants and related forms of organized crime, in areas affected by armed conflict. In response, UNODC, through its Global Programme against Trafficking in Persons, engaged with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations (DPO) and developed a training module covering trafficking in persons and the smuggling of migrants, with a strong gender dimension, for the in-mission induction training of United Nations Police Personnel (UNPOL). A tailored version of the training module was piloted with the Multi-dimensional Integrated Stabilisation Mission in Mali (MINUSMA) and then later integrated into their induction training session for new officers. In addition to training of MINUSMA UNPOL trainers, UNODC supported the delivery of a specialized training to Malian Law enforcement officers in Gao.
UNHCR has issued a Technical Note on UNHCR's Engagement in the Implementation of the Monitoring and Reporting Mechanism for grave violations against children in armed conflict, as well as on Monitoring, Analysis, and Reporting Arrangements on conflict-related sexual violence (it is available here) and is regularly offering webinars with guidance on the technical note.
South Sudan Country Office
Monitoring &Evaluation and Emergency team held a GBV workshop on how WFP can adapt its work to address issues raised by the 16-days campaign.
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.
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.
The OHCHR also supported the Working Group on the Issue of Discrimination Against Women in Law and in Practice (WGDAW) in developing several conclusions aimed at supporting policy development in its thematic report on “Reasserting equality, countering rollbacks”, published in May 2018 (A/HRC/38/46). It concluded that the road to gender equality and the full realization of women’s and girls’ human right remains long and challenging. Women are scarcely represented in national and global political and economic decision-making bodies and are too often overrepresented in vulnerable employment and paid less than men, impeding their economic independence. They face pervasive violence, lack control over their bodies and lack autonomy, and are too often seen as sexualized objects. In all spheres of life, power and entitlement are still concentrated in the hands of men. Women facing multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination experience inequality even more acutely. The continuing existence of direct and indirect discrimination, both visible and invisible, is the reason why women lag behind in nearly all human progress indicators. In the face of discrimination against women and one of its worst manifestations, gender-based violence, everyone has a duty to act. The international community must move forward on setting and implementing standards on gender equality to counter the alarming trends towards undermining human rights principles and jeopardizing the gains made in women’s right.
ESCWA, and its partners UN Women and the League of Arab States, organized a regional workshop to support National Women Machineries in the Arab region in their efforts to address violence against women. Discussion topics included the role of international mechanisms in providing increased protection to survivors of violence, the importance of gender-sensitive national legislation, and the various services that contribute to addressing violence against women. The workshop sessions also covered the regional frameworks that address violence against women, as well as the needed national data to deal with this issue, and the importance of establishing partnerships with national stakeholders to address violence against women.
ESCWA, in partnership with UNFPA, held a meeting to discuss new guidelines on costing violence against women in the Arab region. Experts held in-depth discussions on how to enhance the forthcoming “Step by Step Guide” and identify tools on estimating the cost of violence in the Arab region, especially intimate partner/marital violence.
ESCWA drafted a series of briefs to better inform policy in member States, including: “Women in the Judiciary: A Stepping Stone towards Gender Justice,” which examines the presence of women in the judiciary in the Arab States and explores implications for the achievement of gender justice, including on the capacity of judicial institutions to deal with cases related gender-based violence; and “The Due Diligence Standard, Violence against Women and Protection Orders in the Arab Region,” which discusses the need for protection orders in the Arab region through the concept of the due diligence standard and its applicability to violence against women in both the public and private spheres.