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UNHCR requires all staff to undertake specific actions in their own sector to mitigate risk of SGBV. In 2017, UNHCR issued a Briefing Paper; WASH, Protection and Accountability http://wash.unhcr.org/download/wash-protection-and-accountability/. It includes case studies and a checklist on WASH and safety and security considerations which impact on SGBV.
Under the US Bureau for Population and Refugee Migration funded Safe from the Start project, staff who provide specialised technical support on addressing SGBV prevention, mitigation and response at the onset of emergencies have been deployed to emergency situations in 22 countries (for 197months as of March 2018), to ensure that appropriate assessment, actions and strategies are implemented early. An evaluative assessment in 2016 found that UNHCR operations receiving technical support achieved significant progress in mitigating the risk of SGBV and in improving access and quality of vital services. Results from end of deployment assessments showed that UNHCR operations increased the efficiency of SGBV programming from 31% to 75%, and increased coverage of SGBV programming from 30% to 61%. Further, 56% of operations receiving a deployment have sustained that expertise and carried on the work.
One of OCHA’s 7 priority commitments on gender is to promote gender-responsive Humanitarian Programme Cycle processes. It ensures the systematic inclusion of SGBV programming through the mandatory use of the Gender Marker in funded initiatives, and in reports on how gender and SGBV were addressed during project implementation. As an example, the CERF project application and reporting templates require sex- and age disaggregated data. The application template also includes the IASC Gender Marker which is then recorded in the CERF’s Grant Management System Database for tracking and analysis purpose.
In addition, information and knowledge on gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls have been disseminated through OCHA’s various advocacy platforms such as the corporate website, social media accounts, content websites (such as Medium, Exposure and YouTube) and email. OCHA has updated and edited two “OCHA on Message” products on Gender in Humanitarian Action and Sexual and Gender-based Violence. “OCHA on Message” are reference products that enables staff to communicate OCHA’s position on key issues. OCHA has also delivered remarks and statements containing messaging on gender and SGBV for the Commission on the Status of Women, the 2017 Global Humanitarian Policy Forum, the Center for Global Development and the Royal Institute of International Affairs and as well as briefings to the Security Council, among others.. For International Women’s Day, OCHA launched a successful social media campaign with its “Messengers of Humanity” community around their “Female Humanitarian Heroes” highlighting the professional achievements of women working in humanitarian affairs.
In August, OCHA’s annual World Humanitarian Day campaign centered around the hashtag #NotATarget and advocated for the protection of civilians in armed conflict. The campaign included a strong focus on sexual violence in conflicts, and what can be done to empower and support survivors. As part of a unique collaboration with Facebook, OCHA launched a brand-new Live filter, allowing users to step into the shoes of people affected by conflict as they read real stories from civilians trapped in conflict. The filter included a series of stories by women and girls to highlight the unique challenges they experience in crisis. As part of the campaign, SCB collaborated with UNFPA on a blogpost “Dispelling five myths about sexual violence in emergencies” which was published on OCHA’s Medium platform.
OCHA also supports the International Day to end violence against women and the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. In 2017, OCHA launched a digital campaign, which included an updated Facebook Live filter from World Humanitarian Day that exclusively featured stories of survival from women and girls affected by conflict. The Emergency Relief Coordinator and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, as well as staff members from OCHA’s field offices, participated in the campaign by recording videos, where they shared the real stories of women trapped in conflict.
DPKO is one of the members in the UN ACTION and contributed to supporting the ongoing initiative to implement a Scoping Study on the Causes and Consequences of sexual exploitation and abuse (SEA) from a Gender Perspective
Available resources on SEA :
http://www.pseataskforce.org/
https://iseek-newyork.un.org/department/office-special-coordinator-improving-un-response-sexual-exploitation-and-abuse
UNMAS, housed in the Department of Peacekeeping Operations Office of Rule of Law and Security Institutions, is the coordinator for mine action and chairs the United Nations Inter-Agency Coordination Group on Mine Action (IACG-MA). The IACG-MA develops and revises policies and strategies, sets priorities among UN actors and shares information related to mine action. The IACG-MA applies a needs driven and people centred approach to mine action, taking into consideration the differing roles and vulnerabilities of girls, women, boys and men. Mine action also supports all tiers of the DPKO Concept of Operations for Protection of Civilians.
Justice and Corrections Service(JCS): DPKO rule of law work, through the Global Focal Point (GFP) for the Police, Justice and Corrections Areas in the Rule of Law in Post-conflict and other Crisis Situations continues to benefit from UN Women expertise as well as strengthened coordination with the Team of Experts on the Rule of Law and Sexual Violence in Conflict. The GFP arrangement ensures that partners at HQ systematically include a women, peace and security/gender perspective into all key aspects of GFP work, including assessments, planning, programming, advocacy, annual work plans, budgets, projects, missions, and deployments. As an example, in the context of Liberia, GFP partners teamed up to implement a joint rule of law programme that focused on strengthening gender responsiveness of justice, security and legislative actors, including in regard to violence against women.
Adoption of technology in the communication between WFP and its beneficiaries (mostly women) through the exchange of calls facilitated by the Complains and Feedback Mechanisms (CFMs) is changing the role that beneficiaries play in a given assistance.
Through Cash-Based-Transfers approach from one side and regular use of CFMs on the other, beneficiaries are turning from ‘passive recipients’ into ‘active stakeholders’: today, they have a choice and they have a voice. The combination of choice/voice is resulting in a powerful tool to empower vulnerable women and men. It is a win-win solution where thanks to first-hand information received by beneficiaries, WFP improves the effectiveness of its programmes and beneficiaries have a say in their assistance.
Today, Jordan CO has one call centre managed by a total of 15 operators, with an average of 500 calls per day out of which 80% calls are answered and closed the same day. If operators receive calls and are not able to solve them immediately, they assign them to focal points for actions. Out of 15 operators, 13 are women. This due to the sensitivity and great empathy that women can show when calls come in.
Lessons learnt on the improved communication between WFP and its beneficiaries are several:
- Challenges can be turned into opportunities ( ex.: Complains feedback mechanisms, ETC-Connect project, SCOPE Platform)
- Considering the beneficiaries as ‘direct stakeholders’ is a powerful boost to assistance effectiveness. Give them voice and hear them is a ‘must’
- Leave them the choice to decide how best use the entitlement is the best way to empower them
- Providing women an opportunity to find the right place in a given assistance does not only mean an increase in their income or a solution to their distress but also an honourable status in the household or community for being listened and respected.
In March 2018, a WFP-wide awareness campaign on PSEA was conducted. This was part of an annual awareness campaign, started in January 2018 and running monthly, on WFP’s values, principles and standards, as reflected in WFP’s Code of Conduct, including protection from sexual exploitation and abuse.
In 2017, UN Volunteers hosted by UN Women supported communications and public advocacy of gender equality among communities.
In Togo, the UNV-implemented project Voices Against Violence provided interactive, youth-centred ways for people to talk and learn about relationships and gender equity in a safe and inclusive environment. A total of 500 national volunteer teachers were trained in the principles of respectful and non-violent behaviour. They then delivered the programme in their classes and their communities – multiplying the power of the project by spreading the curriculum to thousands of young Togolese.
Partners for Prevention (P4P) was a UNDP, UNFP, UNV and UN Women regional joint programme for the prevention of violence against women and girls in Asia and the Pacific. It focused on the prevention interventions, capacity development and policy advocacy by working on the ground with local volunteers. Volunteers acted as a bridge between the UN, governments and national and regional partners. In 2017, UN Volunteers served as project coordinators with P4P in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Viet Nam.
In Afghanistan, UNV supports the Youth-Mullah Gender Volunteer Caravans, through which young Afghan men and women are crafting campaigns and visiting communities in Herat and Balkh provinces to spread their messages of gender equality.
WHO developed and published Strengthening health systems to respond to women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexualviolence: A manual for health managers. As a complementary volume to the clinical handbook for health-care providers, WHO has produced this manual for health managers to design, plan, manage and implement health services to respond to intimate partner violence or sexual violence.
View MoreWHO developed and published Strengthening health systems to respond to women subjected to intimate partner violence or sexual
violence: A manual for health managers. As a complementary volume to the clinical handbook for health-care providers, WHO has produced this manual for health managers to design, plan, manage and implement health services to respond to intimate partner violence or sexual violence.
WFP launched its technical guidance on accountability to affected populations (AAP) in January 2017. The guidance complements the protection guidance and provides an overview of AAP in the context of WFP’s operations. It is meant to guide staff and partners to better support programme design and implementation in a manner that reflects the needs and views of affected communities, including women and girls.
In 2017, WFP commissioned two external evaluation of its Humanitarian Protection Policy (2012) and the Policy on Humanitarian Principles and Access (2006).
The evaluation of the Humanitarian Protection Policy generated a set of recommendations to strengthen systematically integration of protection and accountability to affected population to WFP’s different frameworks, programmes and processes.
As per its Strategic Framework 2018-21, UNV supports members states in developing policies that promote volunteerism and volunteer action. Emphasis is put on mainstreaming gender into these policies and legislation.
UNRWA’s Gender Equality Strategy (2016-2021), Integrating Gender, Improving Services, Impacting Lives serves to guide and frame all gender-related work by the Agency, including work on GBV.
The ILO has supported the Ministry of Labour of Brazil to produce and disseminate training and information materials about sexual harassment at work, including a guide on responses to sexual harassment and a video series of five episodes.