Search

OHCHR’s home page featured a story focusing on Security Council resolution 1820. In December 2008, a story focused on the search for justice in post conflict situations. The story is based on two major OHCHR-commissioned studies on the effectiveness of international post-conflict accountability mechanisms in prosecuting sexual violence and on women’s economic, social and cultural rights. Hide

In December 2008, a week-long consultation was convened that brought together staff from UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Legal Counsel to the Great Lakes Conference, MONUC and relevant units within the OHCHR, to develop a coherent strategy for 2009 to address sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Hide

A number of stories related to violence against women were posted on the How We Make a Difference section of OHCHR’s home page throughout 2008 and 2009. On International Women’s Day 2008, OHCHR’s home page featured a story on the launch of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign. The Office also proposed and contributed a story on violence against women to DPI’s 2008 “Ten Stories the World Should Hear More About” web page. Hide

OHCHR finalized a study on the current jurisprudence relating to the prosecution of rape, both under international humanitarian law and human rights law, entitled “Prosecution of Rape under the Formal Justice Mechanisms”. This and another expert paper on “Women’s Economic, Social and Cultural Rights” were launched in December 2008, in Geneva, with the participation of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. A case study, “The Bosnian Experience”, which analyzes the experience of women victims of violence accessing justice in a post-conflict society was prepared. Hide

OHCHR organised training activities on women’s rights and violence against women for Arab-speaking NGOs; Iraqi NGOs; judges from the United Arab Emirates; NGOs and parliamentarians from Bahrain. Gender-based violence in Sudan was also covered. Hide

OHCHR examined the feasibility of deploying gender advisors, including on violence against women, to regional offices, and completed a needs assessment mission to the Regional Office in Beirut in October 2008. OHCHR continued to develop a gender strategy for Colombia, including sub-strategies related to violence and a consultant was recruited for its implementation phase.In the Middle East and North Africa region, OHCHR worked to develop a strategy to combat crimes committed in the name of “honour”. Hide

In March 2008, OHCHR facilitated interactive expert panel discussions on the question of violence against women, and on maternal mortality as a human rights issue, respectively. Hide

OHCHR entered into a partnership with the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) in order to contribute to shaping policy in the areas of addressing violence against women, the promotion of gender equality and ensure respect of individual gender identity. Hide

OHCHR contributed to the elaboration of a pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo to enhance access to justice for survivors of sexual violence. Hide

In September 2007, OHCHR provided support to the sixth session of Human Rights Council, on gender integration, where an expert panel considered ways to ensure the integration of a gender perspective into the work of the Council. During its resumed sixth session in December 2007, the Council adopted a resolution on integrating the human rights of women throughout the United Nations system in which it decided to incorporate into its programme of work as a minimum an annual full-day meeting, to discuss the human rights of women.The responsibility to provide support to the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women was formally transferred to the OHCHR as of 1 January 2008. In addition to logistical and over-all support, discussions were held with the Committee on the provision of analytical assistance on specific thematic issues, such as sexual violence, honour killings, domestic violence and the implementation of Security Council resolution 1325. Hide