Measures

All of UN Action’s work focuses on preventing and responding to conflict-related sexual violence and addressing its root causes.  

In 2023, UN Action developed a resource page on technology-facilitated gender-based violence as seen in contexts of conflict-related sexual violence. Through a working group made up of member entities UNODC, UN Women, UNFPA, and UNICEF, UN Action looks forward to exploring how it can contribute knowledge building and operational impact in this area of work.

OHCHR is developing a Regional Protocol to provide practical tools for public prosecutors, forensic experts and others, to guide their investigations into violent deaths of LGBTIQ+ people in Latin America and the Caribbean. 

To mark the 75th anniversary of the Declaration on Human Rights, OHCHR launched a campaign to encourage meaningful actions by Member States, with the dedicated aim to show commitment towards improving communities, nations, everyone’s human rights. As a result, 56 States have pledged on women’s rights and gender equality, with a strong focus on the elimination of gender-based violence.

OHCHR has been taking part in the UNiTE Campaign/16 Days of Activism every year with various activities and communications, providing support to field presences through the preparation of key messages and with the organization of joint events with partners. Every year, OHCHR commemorates the International Day for Women Human Rights Defenders as part of the UNiTE/16 Days campaign, highlighting the violence they face and the historical and present role they play in conflict prevention, conflict and post-conflict situations. OHCHR has made the case for sustained funding and support for women peacebuilders, including women human rights defenders, organisations, and movements, as an essential prerequisite for addressing and eliminating gender-based violence. 

With the support of a psychologist, OHCHR prepared training material on trauma informed interviewing, with a specific focus on survivors of sexual violence, to respond to a growing demand from field colleagues. 

We have presented in-depth thematic reports on harmful practices, in particular witchcraft, female genital mutilation, and child, early and forced marriage at the Human Rights Council and used their recommendations in our advocacy with States. All reports emphasized that harmful practices are deeply rooted in gender inequality and patriarchal norms, violate women and girls’ human rights, and require stronger legal, policy, and coordinated efforts to be eradicated. OHCHR’s engagement resulted in moving from ad-hoc thematic reports to the elaboration of guidelines on child, early and forced marriage to guide laws, policies and interventions to tackle the practice, as crystallized in resolution 53/23 of the HRC.  

In 2024, the CEDAW Committee adopted its General recommendation No. 40 on the equal and inclusive representation of women in decision-making systems, which highlights achieving 50:50 gender parity across all sectors as pivotal in addressing the root causes of gender-based violence. 

In 2022, the CEDAW Committee adopted its General recommendation No. 39 on indigenous women and girl, which underscores the distinct and intersecting forms of discrimination they face. It recognizes that gender-based violence against indigenous women is not only physical or sexual but also link to environmental violence (e.g., extractive industries harming indigenous lands, leading to displacement and increased GBV risks) and economic violence (e.g., exclusion from land rights and resources). 

Effective monitoring and reporting of cases of gender-based violence contributes to increased accountability and reduced impunity in order to better prevent such violence in all contexts where OHCHR operates. OHCHR has developed a blended training on monitoring/investigating and reporting on gender-based violence for human rights officers, including from field presences, peace mission, investigative bodies and HQ sections, adopting a human rights- and evidence-based approach. OHCHR also developed tools to enhance the capacity of field presences in monitoring gender-based violence, enabling colleagues and other human rights protection actors to highlight and address such acts as human rights violations. OHCHR has tailored training sessions to the needs and specificities of each context, with a focus on country offices participating in the Gender Accreditation Programme (GAP) also led by OHCHR. 

Through a partnership with UN Women and Justice Rapid Response, OHCHR has deployed gender experts to United Nations investigation bodies and mechanisms such as Commissions of Inquiry (COI) and Fact-Finding Missions (FFM). Their role is instrumental to integrate a gender perspective into their methodologies and analyses, enhancing the visibility of the impact of human rights violations on women and girls, especially conflict-related sexual violence, and providing reliable data to inform legal advocacy and policy.