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UNDP has been striving to collect and analyse evidence that will be a baseline for all activities to achieve gender equality and end GBV.
In 2020, UNDP Timor-Leste under the Spotlight Initiative conducted a baseline study on Gender-Based Violence and an assessment of laws, policies, and practices affecting gender equality and gender justice in the country. The baseline is being used to provide tailored support to the National Parliament and others, on legislative amendments to align Timorese legislation with international standards.
UNDP India undertook a study to understand the social and the economic impact on women migrant workers. This report, published in July 2020, collected evidence from 12 states (both interstate and intrastate).
In the Dominican Republic, UNDP presented infographic based on an analysis of violence against women differentiated across the life cycle. It includes advances in the legal framework, challenges, and data on intrafamily and domestic violence, sexual violence and femicide.
In Honduras, UNDP and USAID conducted analysis and presented infographic to make visible and recognize the situation of violence against women, based on the evidence. It contains the main needs and demands of women as rights holders, to reinforce achievements and make sustained progress towards equality.
UNDP works to enhance capacity of staff in relation to violence against women.
In August 2020, UNDP India in collaboration with UN Staff Association of India organized a webinar for UN staff with focus on factors and conditions that aggravate incidence and severity of Violence Against Women during COVID lockdown. In addition to the webinar, UNDP Management and Staff association conducted three rounds of surveys to understand how staff were coping with lockdown and working from home. One of the surveys dedicated to women staff was to better understand needs for information and counselling support on violence.
UNDP Bangladesh, as the member of Gender Equality Theme Group and Local Consultative Group on Women’s Advancement and Gender Equality, contributed significantly in joint learning regarding SHAA and SEA through sharing good practices and helping in designing and implementing advocacy events in different occasions such as 16 days of activism, International Women’s Day.
In Malaysia, UN GRG conducted a capacity building session to introduce Political Engagement Strategy Activation Toolkit in June 2021.
UNDP also has ‘Gender Equality Seal’ programme to recognize and certificate the good performance of its country offices with regards to gender mainstreaming.
In 2017, UNDP launched the “Ending Gender-based Violence (GBV) and Achieving the SDGs” global project. This project aims to take violence prevention to scale by bringing new partners, strategies and sources of financing to the table. Over three years, it will: design, test and evaluate initiatives that will reduce GBV in select pilot sites; and develop new knowledge, skills and tools to reduce GBV in other contexts. Pilots will integrate GBV into broader UNDP sectoral programming (such as environment and livelihoods) and/or will focus around the principle of leaving no one behind.
All pilots will be implemented at the local level, but their lessons will be global. The project will translate evidence from the pilots into policy and advocacy tools, along with instruments such as new financing modalities.
In 2015, UNFPA and UNDP Burkina Faso supported the creation of a universal form allowing police units and offices for the promotion of women’s rights on decentralized level to collect data on violence against women and girls. Data collection is on-going, again with the support of UNDP. Moreover, UNDP also supported the creation of a tool for data collection and analysis, allowing the monitoring of violence on a regional and national basis.
In order to enhance the ability of Country Offices, Regional Service Centres and Regional Bureaux to deliver transformative results for gender equality, UNDP has created the UNDP Gender Equality Seal. The Seal is a corporate certification process that recognizes good performance in gender mainstreaming. It offers three levels of certification (Bronze, Silver or Gold). An office/unit can be certified and awarded after the following four steps: the first step consists of a self-assessment based on a set of benchmarks. In the current round of the Seal, countries have to score positively on several mandatory benchmarks and score a certain % of other benchmarks to get any certification award. One of the benchmarks (3.2) aims at preventing workplace harassment, sexual harassment and abuse of authority and states that an office/unit policy has to be notified and implemented. Specific responsibilities for senior management include communicating the policy to staff; ensuring that staff complete the online training course on harassment and abuse of authority; acting as a role model and resource on the policy for staff members and non-staff personnel; ensure prevention of harassment, especially by supervisors; take prompt action for investigation and redress of any incidents; ensure confidentiality and sensitivity; and ensure that there is no retaliation against complainants. They are 43 currently participating countries that will have to complete this mandatory benchmark to qualify for a Seal certification.
The UNDP Regional Hub for Arab States has commissioned a comprehensive assessment on how GBV protection services are being addressed through legislation, practices and their implementation. The study is to be used to inform effective gender justice programming to combat GBV in the Arab States Region especially in the justice and security sectors. The analysis will also support country and regional advocacy efforts to advocate for the reform of laws, policies and practices that respect and uphold women’s rights.