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In November 2015, ESCWA co-organized with the Lebanese American University session of the Gender Discussion Series focusing on Gender-Based Violence in emergency settings. This session gathered experts from civil society organizations, national institutions and UN agencies to shed light on the topic.

UNFPA, in collaboration with the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), has developed a Regional Training Programme on Gender and Security and the Implementation of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security for government officials, military and civilian peacekeeping personnel, professionals and academics, and NGOs and civil society organizations (CSOs). The purpose of the training programme is to promote greater knowledge of UNSCR 1325 in the Latin America and Caribbean region, so that the goal of mainstreaming gender in the area of peace and security becomes a critical function of peace-keeping forces sending nations. Originally developed for the Latin America and Caribbean Region, the curriculum has now been designed in a manner that can be adapted to suit local contexts in other regions and countries that have a peace-keeping and peace-building role. The programme has been piloted in a few countries in the region over 2014 and 2015 and will be globally rolled out in 2016.

In 2015, ESCWA produced a background paper on the socioeconomic impact of wars on women and girls in the Arab region. The paper shows that Gender-Based Violence is one of the most relevant repercussions of wars on women and girls and proposes recommendations at the institutional and legal levels.

In 2015, together with UNFPA, ESCWA produced  a regional study on “Child Marriage in Humanitarian Settings in the Arab region: Dynamics, Challenges and Policy Options”. The study examined the root structural causes of child marriage in the Arab region, including the national, social, institutional, legal, and cultural frameworks that facilitate the perpetuation of child marriage. It analyzed the factors that drive child marriage in humanitarian and conflict settings, including physical vulnerabilities, shifts in family relations, gender roles, economic conditions, availability of community support, and demographic profiles. It also investigated the socio-economic and health implications of child marriage for young brides, their children, and their communities, particularly in post-conflict contexts.

FAO promotes Safe Access to Fuel and Energy initiatives as part of the emergency response during the ongoing conflict in South Sudan. The responsibilities for collecting fuel and cooking are usually shouldered by women and girls, tasks that in crisis settings are particularly dangerous and time-consuming: during the time spent walking long distances to collect the required fuelwood, women and girls are exposed to the risk of assault, harassment and rape. In order to address the cooking energy needs of vulnerable families, and protect women and girls from GBV, FAO and partners have distributed over 2 000 fuel-efficient stoves and trained 820 women on how to use them. A further 15 000 stoves are expected to be distributed in 2016 as part of the Emergency Livelihood Response Programme. Furthermore, during 2015, FAO conducted two assessments on the fuel and energy-related challenges faced by communities in Kenya (Kakuma, Turkana County, Samburu, Kitui, Meru and Marsabit Counties) and two districts of Somalia (Hargheisa and Doolow).  The studies assessed the fuel types used by households, types of cooking technologies used as well as the specific risks and challenges faced by women who are responsible for cooking, firewood collection, charcoal production and selling of woodfuels. The key findings and analysis have informed the development and design of programmes and initiatives which, amongst other things, seek to prevent or reduce the risk of intra-communal and inter-communal tension and conflict over the use of natural resources, and the prevalence of gender based violence.

As the Global Camp Coordination and Camp Management (CCCM) Cluster lead agency for natural disasters, and in line with the objectives of the global Call to Action on Protection Against Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies, IOM is working to ensure that proper prevention and mitigation measures are in place to reduce the likelihood of GBV taking place in camps and camp-like settings.  Furthermore, IOM is working on the inclusion of GBV prevention and mitigation at all stages of camp response. At the global level, IOM has developed practical approaches to mainstream GBV prevention and mitigation in line with the IASC Guidelines for Integrating Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Action (2015) and is engaging in a number of activities, including: - Deployment of CCCM-GBV Rapid Response Advisors (RRAs), who are mentoring CCCM actors, developing inter-cluster SOPs on the exchange of information between CCCM and Protection actors, supporting the implementation of CCCM operations relating to GBV and addressing technical skill gaps; - Engagement in small-scale, camp-based initiatives to strengthen women’s participation in camp governance structures and develop guidance on how to support women’s engagement to contribute to reducing GBV risks. Small pilot projects have thus far been initiated in Iraq, South Sudan, Ecuador, Nigeria and the Philippines.

As a member of the Team of Experts, OHCHR supported efforts to strengthen the capacity of national rule of law and justice actors to address impunity for conflict-related sexual violence.

In Bosnia and Herzegovina, IOM is working with various UN, government and NGO partners to identify and address gaps in existing care, support and justice systems, and create an effective, comprehensive and standardized approach to assisting survivors of conflict-related sexual violence. The project aims to shed light on the drivers of high rates of sexual violence in conflict situations, but also how sexual violence impedes the full restoration of peace in post-conflict societies. It demonstrates the resolve of the entire UN Country Team in BiH to tackle this issue in a coordinated and systematic manner. IOM’s work in this effort is focused on the development and establishment of a comprehensive legal framework and mechanisms to enable victim-status recognition and on providing reparations for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence regardless of their gender.

In South Sudan, UNDP supported in 2014 special policy units that included women police and which were able to handle 1,137 Sexual and Gender Based Violence cases. In 2015, UNDP helped to increase safety and security for all. The Special Protection Units processed 113 cases, 39 related to GBV and 74 related to children in conflict with the law.

The Global Study on resolution 1325 is a review of 15 years of effort on the part of Member States, Civil Society, UN agencies and the international community to implement this groundbreaking resolution and move the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda forward. The Study was led by independent expert Radhika Coomaraswamy, and was developed based on a series of regional consultations with Civil Society Organizations as well as in-depth research commissioned by leading experts in the WPS field. The Study represents the most comprehensive and updated compilation of the growing evidence that women’s empowerment contributes to the success of peace talks and the achievement of sustainable peace, accelerates economic recovery, strengthens our peace operations, improves our humanitarian assistance, and can help counter violent extremism. According to the Global Study, the main reason for the gap between the robustness of our normative frameworks and the weakness of our implementation on the ground is lack of political will, accountability and resources, and institutional and attittudinal barriers. In the last 15 years, there have been long lists of recommendations but few sticks and carrots to induce compliance, and the Global Study provides key findings and concrete recommendations for implementing 1325, and subsequent WPS resolutions, across a number of areas.