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UN Women organized an international seminar on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in the Gaza Strip in September 2016 with 350 participants representing local and international actors working on GBV including governmental actors, INGOs, UN agencies, humanitarian sectors and clusters, NGOs (from the West bank and Gaza), donors and academics. During two days, participants shared current challenges and opportunities with regards to integrated response to GBV in Gaza, and exchanged national and international experiences around GBV prevention and response in humanitarian settings with the aim of developing concrete, context-specific recommendations for GBV programming in Palestine. The seminar generated very important recommendations including the need to have better inclusion of GBV prevention and response in all stages of humanitarian action in Palestine and the importance of increasing the accountability of different actors to prioritize GBV prevention and response during and after emergencies.
Under the Women, Peace and Security Program, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between UN Women and the Iraqi Ministry of Interior, through the Directorate General for CVAW in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq which has notably influenced Yezidi Religious Leaders to declare acceptance of the women and girls who were assaulted and raped by ISIL elements back to their communities. UN Women, NGO partners, Baghdad Women Association, and Women Empowerment Organization were able to document cases of violence for advocacy purposes with media, government and foreign dignitaries, established Alliance 1325 and pressed for the Emergency Operation Room to elevate support and protection for women and girls in the face of ISIL. These NGOs, the Alliance, UN Women CSAG along with other CSOs were able to lobby for the emergence of a women machinery heralded in 2017 as Women Empowerment Department in Baghdad replacing the dismantled Ministry of Women.
In 2016, a new record number of at least 105 countries joined the UNiTE campaign’s “Orange the World” movement in support of the 16 Days of Activism. From marches in Uganda, Serbia, and Timor-Leste, a public rally on motorbikes in Pakistan, orange bike rides in India and the Za’atari refugee camp in Jordan, and the lighting of symbolic buildings in orange across the globe.
In Kosovo, OHCHR and technical partners provided key support services for survivors of gender based violence, including psychosocial counselling and psychotherapeutic services, legal aid and access to economic empowerment programs, benefitting more than 200 women in 2016. After a successful advocacy initiative involving OHCHR, North Mitrovica municipality allocated premises for a shelter for survivors of gender based violence. OHCHR further provided necessary equipment and furniture for the shelter and will organize capacity building of relevant staff who will work with survivors in the shelter. Moreover, OHCHR ensured sustainability of support services in 2017 and 2018 through technical support to a partner CSO in drafting a project proposal which was recently approved for funding by the EU.
ESCWA is currently developing a study entitled "Women, Peace and Security: The role of institutions at times of peace and war". This study builds on previous work on the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 (2000) on Women, Peace and Security, which has protection as one of its main pillars. Within this framework, ESCWA organised in partnership with the Lebanese American University a conference on "Prioritizing Women, Peace and Security on the Arab Agenda" (8-10 August 2016), where the "Beirut Call for Action" was endorsed by experts from academia, UN agencies and Civil Societies Organizations.
In Kosovo, OHCHR conducted research on potential conflict related SGBV (Sexual and Gender Based Violence) survivors among non-majority communities in Kosovo. The research included desk review of all relevant documents, meetings and interviews with all stakeholders that might possess information including governmental entities, victim associations, international organizations and religious communities. It enabled access to information about 51 potential non-majority survivors. The follow-up consist in contacting survivors and facilitating verification of status and subsequent access to reparation programs.
UN Women, in collaboration with the governments of El Salvador and Sweden, launched the global study "Preventing conflicts, transforming justice, ensuring peace" in the Americas at a high level event in El Salvador in April of 2016. This is a report on the implementation of the Resolution 1325, which highlights the participation of women in security issues. The results of the research strengthen and recognize the power of women's peace-building interventions, and show that women's inclusion improves effectiveness in humanitarian assistance, strengthens efforts to build peace and the economic recovery of countries. As part of the activity, two forum panels took place and provided the space to share experiences on the application of 1325 in various countries of the world.
In 2016, WFP campaign took place from Friday 25 November 25 to 10 December 2017, focusing on the importance of resources to prevent and eliminate violence against women, men, girls and boys. Importance was given to the financial, technical, and human resources necessary to support concrete activities to end gender based-violence (GBV), and how WFP contributes in each of these categories, and how it could be doing more. During the first week of the campaign, WFP highlighted its internal resources, policies, tools and training materials that contribute to reducing gender based violence; in the second week it looked at partnerships and how they contribute to eliminating gender-based violence (in line with SDG #17 about partnership).
UNHCR supported the annual 16 Days of Activism against Sexual and Gender-Based Violence in its country operations across the globe in 2016. From November 25 until December 10, UNHCR staff in country and field operations engaged in a number of awareness-raising activities to end sexual and gender-based violence. Activities included the participation of refugees, internally displaced people, stateless people, host-communities, women, men, boys and girls, community leaders, partners and governments representatives in a global effort to promote healthy relationships so that young people can feel safe at home, in their schools and in their communities.
In Somalia, UNODC is implementing a project funded by UN ACTION to pilot the UNODC/WHO tool on strengthening the medico-legal response to sexual violence. Police officers were trained on criminal justice response to gender-based violence in conflict.