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UNFPA developed and pilot-tested the Gender Marker system over 2011 in the country offices of Azerbaijan, Burundi, Indonesia and Turkey. The Gender Marker system will allow the Fund to track its investments on gender and will be mandatorily used by all UNFPA country offices from 2013.UNFPA continued to lead the Gender-based Violence cluster coordination efforts to address gender-based violence/violence against women in Haiti, and now in the Philippines and Pakistan in the aftermath of natural disasters. Hide

OHCHR raised awareness among its country offices on Security Council resolutions on Women, Peace and Security and on their relevance for their work. This included the production and dissemination of an information sheet; the organization of two-specific sessions during the annual meeting of heads of field presence and the OHCHR planning week respectively. Hide

UNRWA has continued to regularly participate in the various UN taskforces, such as the UN Country Team Gender Taskforce, which aim to build national strategies to end violence against women in Lebanon, Syria and the Occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In the latter, UNRWA has continued addressing gender-based violence through its participation in interventions and activities within the Millenium Development Goals Achievement Fund (MDG-F) Gender equality and Women’s Empowerment Project (Joint agency project). Hide

UNICEF has led the development of a Prevention Framework to inform field level programming on how to increase the safety and security of women and children. UNICEF is also working to strengthen programme monitoring and evaluation of interventions to prevent and respond to violence against children. This includes global evaluations of UNICEF’s work in emergency and development contexts to address violence, as well as providing technical and financial support to an interagency action research project on the functioning and effectiveness of community-based child protection mechanisms. As part of a greater focus on programme monitoring across the Organisation, concerted efforts are being made to improve programme monitoring on violence against children globally, and focused support is being provided to countries in East and Southern Africa to improve monitoring and evaluation systems related to violence prevention and response in collaboration with governments. Hide

The UNFPA sub-regional strategy on Gender-based Violence for Latin America and the Caribbean region was released in September 2011. Hide

UNFPA’s partnership with UNICEF globally and in 12 country offices in co-chairing and implementing activities under the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme and Trust Fund on Female Genital Mutilation and Cutting (FGM/C) and activities under the Trust Fund are ongoing. Hide

In June 2011, UNHCR published its “Action against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence: An Updated Strategy”, which highlights six action areas: protecting children, persons with disabilities and LGBTI persons against sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), addressing survival sex, engaging men and boys and providing safe access to domestic energy and natural resources. It also includes recommended actions in three institutional focus areas, in order to strengthen UNHCR’s capacity and expertise in addressing SGBV. This global strategy framework forms the basis for all UNHCR operations to develop five-year, country-specific SGBV strategies, embedded in their overall protection strategy. Hide

OIOS’ evaluation of the United Nations Mission in the Sudan (UNMIS) showed that progress had been made in mainstreaming gender into the Mission's agenda and tasks. For example, the Mission prepared gender equality guidelines and a gender strategy, which was instrumental in establishing Vulnerable Persons Protection Units in all Sudanese police stations and had demobilized more than 6,000 women combatants by September 2010. In OIOS' survey of UNMIS staff, 57 per cent of respondents rated the Mission's activities in giving attention to the special needs of women combatants in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration positively. However, information received by UNMIS that 24 women and 30 girls had been raped in 2 villages was not included in the Human Rights Bulletin that the Mission compiled. OIOS recommended that UNMIS should report more comprehensively on human rights violations. (A/65/752)OIOS’ evaluation of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) gave particular emphasis to violence against women in view of the history of conflict-related violence against women in that country. OIOS collaborated with UN Women to develop terms of reference incorporating this focus and to ensure that the Mission's efforts to reduce violence against women and offer assistance to victims were evaluated. The Mission's responses to incidents of violence against women were also considered in the evaluation. The draft report of the evaluation is currently being reviewed by the Mission and DPKO/DFS.OIOS’ evaluation of the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH) addressed policing and building the capacity of the local police to cope with criminal activity, which includes violence against women. OIOS has submitted the draft report with findings and recommendations to the Mission and DPKO/DFS for review.OIOS reviewed activities aimed at eliminating violence against women in the context of an audit of the management of the human rights programme in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI). OIOS’ proposed recommendations include strengthening implementation strategies and programme evaluation of UNAMI's human rights interventions in Iraq that also relate to women right violations. Hide

A report “Making a Difference: An assessment of Volunteer Interventions Addressing gender-based violence in Cambodia” has been developed by a national UN Volunteer, analysing interventions where volunteerism plays a significant role in the prevention and response to violence against women. Hide

OHCHR continued supporting the Special Rapporteur on Violence Against Women, its causes and consequences: in supporting three country visits to Jordan (11-24 November 2011), Somalia (9 – 16 December 2011) and Italy (15-26 January 2012); in strengthening partnerships with other human rights mechanisms, including the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW); and in convening an Expert Group Meeting on gender motivated killings of women. The Special Rapporteur also held a bilateral meeting with the CEDAW Committee with a view to strengthening partnerships between the two mandates and mutually benefit from their respective work. Hide