Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

In Panama, the OHCHR has participated in the Common Country Assessement (CCA)/UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) processes of Panama throughout 2010 and has an active role in the inter-agency group of gender and the SG UNITE Campaign. The OHCHR organized a human rights-based approach training in Costa Rica, highlighting, inter alia, issues related to women’s rights and violence against women. The OHCHR participated, with a resource person, in a human rights-based approach training, at the UN Staff College, for the UNCT in El Salvador, in connection with the preparation of CCA/UNDAF.Gender Advisors of OHCHR were deployed in four regional offices (Fiji, Lebanon, Panama and Senegal). In the Regional Office in Panama, for example, the role of the Gender Advisor, is to integrate gender analysis into the Office’s areas of work and to raise awareness about violence, against women. Hide

The Panama Regional Office of the OHCHR undertook training activities in Panama in connection with the Universal Periodic Review. Women’s organizations participated in trainings for the civil society and made submissions to the process. The OHCHR also provided training to Instituto Salvadoreño para el Desarrollo de la Mujer (ISDEMU) in El Salvador, for the preparation of the follow-up report to CEDAW’s concluding observations. The follow-up report will focus on priority recommendations, including on efforts to eradicate violence against women. Hide

OHCHR, along with the Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, DPKO and UNDP, worked on the operationalization of the team of experts to be deployed to situations of particular concern with respect to sexual violence in armed conflict, in order to assist national authorities to strengthen the rule of law, as called for under Security Council Resolution 1888. At the headquarters level, UNDP and other UN entities have developed a joint programme document and secured seed funding from the UN Action Against Sexual Violence Multi-donor Trust Fund (MDTF) for an initial six month period to recruit and put in place the team of experts. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste provided a human rights commentary on the draft law against domestic violence. Hide

The OHCHR supported the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences in strengthening partnerships with other human rights mechanisms, both special procedures and treaty bodies, particularly the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW). The Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and CEDAW held discussions on ways to strengthen cooperation in a number of areas of their work. In Panama, the OHCHR Regional Office led the preparation of the United Nations Country Team’s Universal Periodic Review (UPR) submission, which includes a section on the situation of women in the country, including an alarming increase in cases of femicide. Hide

In El Salvador, officials of the Ministry of Justice and Public Security, the Public Prosecutor Office and the Police participated in an expert seminar, organized by the OHCHR, on legal frameworks to protect women from violence, including femicide. Hide

The OHCHR/Human Rights and Transitional Justice Section in the UN Integrated Mission in Timor-Leste has continued to conduct activities on the prevention and elimination of violence against women. Hide

OHCHR supported the on violence against women, its causes and consequences in advocating for the elimination of violence against women, such as in the conference on femicide in Latin America, organized with the European Parliament, and in a colloquium on domestic migrant workers in the EU, organized by OHCHR Regional office in Brussels. Hide

OHCHR arranged trainings of media professionals with regard to gender-based violence. Within the framework of the “Defending and Protecting Women’s Human Rights in Mexico” project, OHCHR organised in Mexico a training programme for journalists on “Human Rights and the Violence against Women in the Media” from 18 to 20 February 2009. In Uganda, OHCHR Teso Region (Soroti) organized a training of media professionals on how to conduct respectful interviews of victims/survivors of gender-based violence and their role to educate communities on gender-based violence as a serious human rights issue. Hide

A number of stories on violence against women, such as violence against albinos in Tanzania and violence against female domestic workers in Brazil, were posted during the Durban Review Conference, held in April in Geneva, on both the OHCHR and the Conference sites. Another story focused on the side event “Double Odds: Women Overcoming Multiple Discrimination” including a presentation by the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences. Other stories were posted in 2009 in relation to human trafficking.In March 2009, the OHCHR Women’s Rights and Gender Unit co-organized a side event on “Honour Killings” during the Human Rights Council. On the occasion of the 12th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva, UNHCR and OHCHR organized a side event entitled “A Modern day "Crucible" - Witchcraft accusations against women and children in the 21st Century” to draw attention to witchcraft accusations, often targeting marginalized groups, including refugees and IDPs.OHCHR participated in the organization of an awareness-raising workshop on human rights and national laws related to women's rights in May 2009 for an Arab settlement in Zeina, in Sudan. OHCHR’s Regional Office in Central Asia produced leaflets, in Kyrgyz and Russian languages, with information on the mandate of the UN Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, including the template individual communications form.In order to celebrate International Women’s Day and the anniversaries of the adoption of the CEDAW Convention and its Optional Protocol in 2009, the OHCHR in Uganda featured an article in Uganda’s main daily newspaper, calling for speedy enactment of pending bills, including the ones on domestic relations, sexual offences and domestic violence.. OHCHR’s country office in Uganda, in cooperation with Pader NGO Forum and the Civil-Military Coordination Centre (CMCC), sensitized internally displaced persons (IDP) community leaders on the human rights of women, focusing on ending sexual and gender-based violence, forced and early marriages, and promoting inheritance and property rights. In February and July 2009, in Kitgum District/Uganda, the Office facilitated sessions on sexual, gender-based violence and human rights. The Country office also gave a presentation on the role of international organizations and civil society organizations in preventing sexual and gender-based violence during activities organized by the Refugee Law Project.In February 2009, the OHCHR Regional Office for Eastern Africa commemorated the International Day of Zero Tolerance of Female Genital Mutilation through a range of activities. In March 2009, it participated in the launch of the “Leave No Woman Behind Project”, implemented by the Ethiopian and Spanish Governments and UNFPA, including also elements on ending violence against women.OHCHR supported financially awareness-raising and advocacy programs implemented by the human rights components of various United Nations Peacekeeping Missions. On International Women’s Day 2009, the human rights component in the United Nations Operation in Côte d’Ivoire organized training and sensitization sessions through its nine regional offices, in close cooperation with other UNOCI components, the UN Country Team and a wide range of stakeholders. The mission has focused on raising awareness of gender-based violence in Côte d’Ivoire, such as rape and female genital mutilation, early and/or forced marriages, as well as of the legal provisions contained in the Ivorian Penal Code. The Human Rights and Protection Section of the United Nations Mission in Liberia, in collaboration with County Gender Coordinators and women’s organisations, continued to raise awareness of women’s rights, female genital mutilation and sexual and gender-based violence, targeting also traditional leaders. Hide