United Nations Development Programme

In May 2010, seven UN agencies (UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO) have launched a three-year UN Joint Program "Ending violence against women - a national priority for Kyrgyzstan". Four strategic compenents of the program include: 1) strengthening policy framework, including through the implementation of the recommendations of the UN human bodies and procedures; 2) improving official data collection system and analysis of collected data; 3) awareness-raising, sensititation and capacity-building with the view to change gender stereotypes; 4) protecting and helping survivors of gender-based violence. Hide

In Asia Pacific, the Partners for Prevention (P4P) - an inter-agency initiative of UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, and UNVs- which works with men and boys to prevent gender-based violence– has developed a comprehensive set of research tools on gender-based violence, including questionnaires, research protocols, and training manuals for the “Gender-based Violence Prevention and Masculinities” Collaborative Research Project for Asia and the Pacific. These tools have been shared with partners in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. In Cambodia, the research findings on GBV and masculinities are informing a public awareness campaign. P4P is also developing the capacity of national partners in China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea to conduct research in this area, in order to develop evidence-based programs and policy initiatives to address GBV across the region. Networks of practitioners have been established in South Asia and Southeast & East Asia to support the civil society and UN advocates to implement initiatives on GBV prevention through work with men and boys. Hide

In Somaliland, Somalia, the Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) operates in Hargeisa, as a ‘one-stop’ location, where victims of SGBV can receive medical care, counselling, free legal advice and representation. The victims are also given the opportunity to report the assault to the police. In Puntland, in Somalia, the Puntland Elders Network has been established in line with the State Conference for Traditional Leaders of Puntland Declaration, according to which the elders are committed, inter alia, to refer cases of rape to the formal justice system. Hide

In Sri Lanka, UNDP is preparing to use street dramas to present issues related to VAW. In Sierra Leone, UNDP supported 8 civil society organizations to be engaged in awareness-raising on gender laws, sexual gender-based violence, and harmful traditional practices. In addition, 24 radio programmes were organized by UNDP implementing partners for sensitization messages. UNDP also supported civil society organizations to raise awareness on issues of violence against women and human trafficking and act as monitors/watchdogs; and supported production of documentaries to increase awareness of the broader public on violence against women, including the legal and institutional frameworks in place to provide justice.In the Arab region, a series of Human Development Reports were produced by UNDP, highlighting violence against women, as an issue of concern that affects progress in Arab societies. The most recent report analyzed and researched issues of human insecurities in the region, including gender-based violence. In Iraq, UNDP is working closely with UNIFEM on enhancing women’s security. In Haiti, UNDP works with women and women's organizations in IDPs camps to identify and implement preventive measures against gender-based violence. Hide

In Sierra Leone, UNDP provided grants to 6 civil society organisations to provide support services to SGBV victims, including legal aid, primarily in Bo and Makeni. The referral mechanism for SGBV cases has been enhanced across communities and several perpetrators have been convicted. Services provided by civil society organisations to victims of SGBV has also led to the conviction of several perpetrators. UNDP also supported legal aid clinics in the Kivus area, located in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, resulting in the conviction of several perpetrators of SGBV. UNDP is supporting the Family Support Units in the Police, both in Sierra Leone and DRC, by developing guidelines on SGBV case management and by ensuring the necessary equipment for their implementation. Hide

In every region, UNDP – with its national partners and in collaboration with UN Country Teams- continues to support the development and implementation of strategies and actions plans on domestic violence. As convener of the gender thematic window of the MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F), UNDP supports and partners in the implementation of a number of joint programs which address gender-based violence in an integrated manner, including in many cases through the development of national strategies. Joint programmes with an explicit focus on gender based-violence are supported by the MDG-F Trust Fund in Bangladesh, Colombia, Guatemala, Morocco, OPT, Timor-Leste and Vietnam.UNDP Kosovo supported the development and implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan against Trafficking in Human Beings (2008-2011). UNDP works with partners to ensure that background and contextual information on gender discrimination and gender-based violence is included in national plans and through them reflected in Common Country Assessments/United Nations Development Assistance Frameworks (CCA/UNDAFs). Hide

The UNDP Regional Center in the Arab States, in cooperation with UNIFEM, conducts in Egypt training of trainers and sensitization to gender-sensitive measurements for equitable service delivery. UNDP’s regional HIV programme conducted leadership trainings to women living with HIV from Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Djibouti and Saudi Arabia. A gender and HIV toolkit was also prepared on human rights and religious perspectives demanding equity, taking also a stand against all forms of violence against women. Hide

In Sri Lanka, the Equal Access to Justice Project, supported by UNDP, has provided training to women and men working as ‘first respondents’, including welfare officers, crèche attendants, midwives and CBO officers, in order to support victims at village level. The programmes have been targeted in the estate (plantation) sector, where relatively high incidences of alcoholism contribute to high rates of GBV, and the former conflict affected areas, where they have been conducted in tandem with livelihood support projects. Hide

In Egypt, UNDP’s support has resulted in the enactment of a law under the Egyptian Penal Code which criminalizes female genital mutilation. In Lebanon, UNDP promoted a law on violence against women. In the ECIS region, UNDP Kosovo supported the drafting of a law on domestic violence, which is currently under discussion. Studies are currently underway on “The Prosecution of Violence Against Women in the Arab Region” which will describe the status of relevant laws in pilot countries from a reform perspective, identify the challenges associated with combating this type of crimes, in particular with regards to the issue of honor crimes, and propose solutions on how to deal with them concretely. The study will provide guidelines and recommendations for policy changes and legislative reform to enhance/modernize the Arab women’s rights protection systems. Hide

With the support of UNDP Kosovo, five Legal Aid offices, became fully operational in Gjakove, Dragash, Ferizai, North Mitrovica, and Gracanica, providing legal aid services to residents. Hide