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In Viet Nam in 2016, UN Women supports Legal Aid Department of Ministry of Justice to build a legal aid system sensitive to the needs of VAW survivors. This includes 1) technical assistance to legal drafters of the amended Legal Aid Law and to develop joint UN recommendations together with UNDP, UNICEF, UNODC, UNAIDS, highlighting gaps with international normative frameworks; and 2) support to develop a guideline for legal aid providers, reflecting the legislative changes of the criminal laws in 2015 and promoting gender-sensitive and survivor-centred response based on international standards. Materials developed through the support to Judicial Academy and UNODC's handbook for legal aid providers on domestic violence cases will be utilized for this purpose.

The UNAIDS Gender Guidance for National AIDS Responses was distributed to field offices. In November 2008, UNAIDS established a US$3 million dollar window in the UNAIDS Programme Acceleration Fund (PAF) mechanism to assist Joint UN AIDS Teams to catalyze country level action on gender and AIDS, including programming on violence against women and its intersections with HIV.

UNAIDS presented an external mid-term review of UNAIDS Agenda for Accelerated Country Action for Women Girls and Gender Equality to its Programme Coordinating Board in December 2012. The review found UNAIDS has contributed to scaled up country-level action on violence and HIV but further work is required to strengthen the evidence base.

In October 2009, the UNAIDS Executive Director established a Task Force, comprised of a wide range of stakeholders, to advise on the development of an Operational Plan for the UNAIDS Action Framework on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, which was endorsed at the Board meeting in December 2009. The Action Framework and Operational Plan outline core responsibilities for the UN in advancing work on women, girls and HIV at all levels.

As part of its strategic leadership role, the UNAIDS Secretariat has gathered evidence to better address gender barriers that hinder women’s access to services, including violence.

In the context of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflicts, UNAIDS and partners aim to incorporate the HIV implications of sexual violence in conflict and post conflict situations into the progress report on implementation of resolution 1308, to be presented at the Security Council in Fall 2010. Sexual violence is one of the three output areas for the “UN system-wide work programme to scale up HIV services for populations of humanitarian concern” project implemented by FAO, OCHA IRIN, OCHA, UNDP, UNFPA, UNHCR, WFP, WHO, UNICEF under the coordination of the UNAIDS Secretariat. This is an example of how UNAIDS is integrating attention to sexual and gender-based violence into HIV programming. FAO has elaborated a GBV guidance note related to HIV-AIDS and GBV in emergency situations.

UNAIDS is providing technical and/or financial support to an additional six countries to strengthen programming to reduce sexual violence against girls. Violence against women has been made a priority of the Global Uniformed Services Task Force on HIV. A strategy is being developed and implemented to ensure that uniformed services undergo basic awareness raising and training in the prevention of sexual violence in addition to HIV.

UNAIDS is working with partners to clarify linkages and effective programmes on violence and HIV in emergency affected populations. A number of activities, funded by Department for International Development (UK), were carried out, including: - A review, in collaboration with WHO, of epidemiological evidence of the links between HIV and gender-based violence in emergency settings - Participation in UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, a global initiative on gender-based violence in emergency settings - Support to regional task forces on gender-based violence in emergency settings - Collaboration with WHO in building capacity in the clinical management of sexual violence in emergencies - Collaboration with FAO on building the capacities for addressing underlying causes of transactional sex.

As follow-up to Security Council resolutions 1308 and 1325 (2000), the UNAIDS Office of Security and Humanitarian Response is providing support to strengthen HIV/AIDS education within international peacekeeping operations. It also assists countries to strengthen their HIV/AIDS responses for national uniformed services, including through the development of a training manual, which includes a section on coercion and sexual violence.

Regional teams of UNAIDS in Southern and Eastern Africa have explored how health services can be improved for women who experience sexual and physical violence during crisis and conflict situations (supported by the Global Coalition, WHO, UNDP and UNAIDS).