UNFPA

Spotlight Initiative Logo
Address/Websites

220 East 42nd Street
New York, NY 10017

About Measure

Background

Launched in 2017 with an initial investment of over 500 million USD from the European Union, Spotlight Initiative is the United Nations Secretary-General’s High Impact Initiative to end violence against women and girls (EVAWG). Recognized as one of 12 UN High-Impact Initiatives – driving progress across the sustainable development goals – Spotlight Initiative represents an unprecedented global effort to address violence against women and girls at scale.

During its first phase (2017- 2023), Spotlight Initiative helped cohere the UN system to implement 34 programmes across five regions. This included two civil society grant-making programmes – established in collaboration with the UN Trust to End Violence against Women and the Women’s Peace and Humanitarian Fund – which helped channel additional resources directly to civil society. By fostering a “One UN” approach under the leadership of the Resident Coordinators at the country level, Spotlight Initiative has leveraged various UN agencies’ complementary expertise, deepened collaboration, and streamlined operational processes, allowing for stronger programme delivery and better results for women and girls.

Through its deep partnerships at country and regional level – including with governments, civil society, faith-based and traditional leaders, academic institutions, media, the private sector, and others – Spotlight Initiative drove significant progress across response and prevention efforts. A strong commitment to meaningful engagement with civil society in particular, including local and grassroots organisations and feminist and women’s rights groups, has been central to the Initiative’s approach, as well. Under its first phase, nearly half of the Initiative’s activity funds were channeled directly to civil society, ensuring local ownership, buy-in, and sustainability of the Initiative's investments. At the global level, the Initiative forged a range of strategic partnerships, including with the Group of Friends, a coalition of 93 UN Member States advocating to end violence against women and girls, and the UN Foundation, which helped launch the WithHer Fund to channel more funding directly to local organizations.

Through its comprehensive approach – working to pass progressive laws and policies, strengthen institutions, deepen prevention programming, improve access to services, and generate data, and by centering partnerships – particularly with civil society – the Initiative has been shown to be 70% to 90% more effective at reducing the prevalence of violence against women and girls than siloed, single-pillar approaches. By aligning its interventions with national and local priorities, Spotlight Initiative works to deepen capacity, political will, and long-term commitment to ending violence against women and girls and advancing gender equality and women’s rights.

Areas of Focus

Unique to the Initiative is a whole-of-society approach that places ending violence against women and girls at the heart of national development priorities and supports local communities with the tools they need to address violence in their specific context. The model works by rolling out evidence-based interventions holistically: gender responsive laws and policies; strengthening institutions and data collection on VAWG; promoting gender-equitable attitudes and positive social norms, and providing quality services for survivors of violence and their families.  It does this work in partnerships with government and, critically, with civil society - including particularly women's rights organisations – at every level, enhancing civic space and driving sustainable, transformative change.

Resources

United Nations Population Fund

Item ID
{CCC0D662-D34C-4B9B-8668-C50AA83B6463}
UNAgency ID
{1586BE32-FA9D-40C6-A94E-EDE0431C6BE4}
Policy Framework

UNFPA is guided by and promotes the principles of the groundbreaking Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (1994), which includes the commitment that advancing gender equality and equity and the empowerment of women, and the elimination of all kinds of violence against women, and ensuring women’s ability to control their own fertility are cornerstones of population and development-related programmes.

Background

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is the leading UN agency dedicated to addressing gender-based violence as a key component in advancing a world where every pregnancy is wanted, every childbirth is safe, and every young person’s potential is fulfilled. 

UNFPA makes the highest level of investment in ending gender-based violence, including leadership on technology-facilitated gender-based violence,  globally through the inter-related pillars of Response, Prevention, Enabling Environments and Data and Research across the humanitarian, peace and development continuum. 

Resources

An Infographic Guide on Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence (TFGBV) (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/infographic-guide-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-tfgbv)

A Framework for TFGBV Programming (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/framework-tfgbv-programming)

Our Bodies, Our Rights! Addressing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights and Gender-based Violence for Women and Young People with Disabilities (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/our-bodies-our-rights-addressing-sexual-and-reproductive-health-and-rights-and-gender) 

UNFPA Strategy and Operational Plan to Scale-up and Strengthen Interventions on Gender-based Violence in Emergencies, 2023-2025: Executive Summary (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/unfpa-strategy-and-operational-plan-scale-and-strengthen-interventions-gender-based) 

Flourish. UNFPA Gender-Based Violence Operational Plan: Summary (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/flourish-unfpa-gender-based-violence-operational-plan-summary) 

Guidance on the Safe and Ethical Use of Technology to Address Gender-based Violence and Harmful Practices: Implementation Summary (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/implementation-summary-safe-ethical-use-technology-gbv-harmful-practices) 

A Guide to Better Understanding and Using Violence Against Women Prevalence Data (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/guide-better-understanding-and-using-violence-against-women-prevalence-data) 

2022 Global Symposium on Technology-facilitated Gender-based Violence Results: Building a Common Pathway (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/2022-global-symposium-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-results-building) 

Measuring technology-facilitated gender-based violence. A discussion paper (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/measuring-technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-discussion-paper) 

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Feminist Design (https://www.unfpa.org/resources/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-feminist-design) 

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Rights-Based Regulation (https://www.unfpa.org/resources/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-rights-based-regulatio) 

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Data and Measurement (https://www.unfpa.org/resources/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-data-and-measurement) 

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Across Contexts: Gender-Based Violence Interagency (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/addressing-gender-based-violence-across-contexts-gender-based-violence-interagency) 

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Across Contexts: Gender-Based Violence Interagency Minimum Standards and the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/unfpa-implementation-essential-services-package-women-and-girls-subject-violence) 

Technology-Facilitated Gender-Based Violence: Making All Spaces Safe (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/technology-facilitated-gender-based-violence-making-all-spaces-safe) 

Getting to Zero: Mapping UNFPA Leadership on Ending Gender-based Violence (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/getting-to-zero) 

Reporting on Gender-Based Violence in Humanitarian Settings: A Journalist’s Handbook (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/reporting-gender-based-violence-humanitarian-settings-journalists-handbook) 

The RESPECT framework: https://respect-prevent-vaw.org/ 

The Inter-Agency Minimum Standards for Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Programming (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/inter-agency-minimum-standards-gender-based-violence-emergencies-programming) 

Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/essential-services-package-women-and-girls-subject-violence) 

Minimum Standards for Prevention and Response to Gender-based Violence in Emergencies (https://www.unfpa.org/publications/minimum-standards-prevention-and-response-gender-based-violence-emergencies-0)

Brasilia Call to Action on Climate Justice, Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender Equality, and Impacted Populations (https://brazil.unfpa.org/sites/default/files/pub-pdf/2025-08/Final_Brasilia%20Call%20to%20Action_Global%20Symposium.pdf)

URL

http://www.unfpa.org/

Mail Address

605 Third Avenue. New York, New York 10158 USA

Areas of Work

It remains a strategic priority for UNFPA to prevent and respond to gender-based violence across humanitarian, peace and development settings, including eliminating harmful practices such as female genital mutilation, child marriage and gender-biased sex selection. UNFPA supports comprehensive, survivor-centred responses across the humanitarian, peace and development continuum. Under the period of the last UNFPA Strategic Plan (2022 and 2025) UNFPA invested $1,925.6 million in initiatives to eliminate GBV and harmful practices. 

UNFPA’s Work on GBV

Advocacy/Policy:

UNFPA collaborates with national and international stakeholders to address gaps in legislation and law enforcement related to GBV and harmful practices. It supports the development of culturally sensitive, rights-based policies and plans for GBV prevention and response, with a strong emphasis on integrating these efforts into the health sector. UNFPA also works to align national frameworks with international agreements such as the SDGs, CEDAW and the Beijing Platform for Action. 

Capacity Development: 

UNFPA partners with women’s and youth feminist organizations, civil society, governments, and other stakeholders to transform harmful gender and social norms  to promote gender equality in families, communities and institutions. It focuses on building the capacity of governments, civil society, and service providers to respond and prevent GBV, across the social services, health, legal and justice and education sectors. 

Data and Evidence Generation: 

UNFPA plays a critical role in collecting, analyzing, and utilizing data to understand the prevalence, incidence, and impact of GBV worldwide. It partners with national statistics offices and relevant ministries to strengthen national data systems and ensure the ethical collection of GBV-related data. Through initiatives like kNOwVAWdata UNFPA provides technical support and capacity building for evidence-based policymaking in several regions and languages. 

In humanitarian settings, UNFPA leads the Gender-Based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS), which harmonizes data collection across 25 crisis contexts. An adapted version of GBVIMS is also used in development settings to safely collect, store, analyze, and share survivor-reported data. These efforts ensure that data informs decision-making, resource allocation, and the development of effective GBV prevention and response programmes. 

Service Delivery: 

UNFPA promotes a survivor-centred integrated approach to addressing GBV through dynamic systems of prevention, protection, and response, including through sexual and reproductive health services. It strengthens survivors’ access to quality health care, social services, and legal and justice support, guided by the Essential Services Package for Women and Girls Subject to Violence and the Interagency Minimum Standards on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies Programming. UNFPA also leads the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR) under the Inter-Agency Standing Committee, coordinating global and national efforts to address GBV interventions in humanitarian settings. 

From 2023 to 2026, with the support of Takeda, UNFPA is implementing the Women at the Center programme, which strengthens case management and professional social-service workforce capacities in Azerbaijan, El Salvador, Indonesia, Madagascar, and Zimbabwe. 

Preventing GBV:

UNFPA works to dismantle harmful social and gender norms that perpetuate inequality and violence. It implements prevention programming as  outlined in the RESPECT framework, partnering with UN Women, WHO, and UNDP. UNFPA also promotes comprehensive sexuality education as a primary prevention tool, fostering gender-equitable attitudes among adolescents to reduce violence and promote healthier relationships.UNFPA also engages communities, including men and boys in advancing gender equality and ending harmful practices, while remaining accountable to feminist movements.

Through the EmpowerED programme, UNFPA is harnessing the potential of CSE to contribute to the prevention of gender-based violence. Implemented in 10 countries across six global regions, EmpowerED is supporting the strengthening of CSE to be gender-transformative and trauma-informed and to include the key elements of GBV prevention programmes, as well as the establishment of referral pathways between CSE and GBV services. UNFPA is also building the evidence base on the impact of CSE in GBV prevention outcomes, including changes in attitudes towards violence and increased support seeking behaviours. 

Responding to GBV Across Contexts: 

UNFPA supports comprehensive, survivor-centred responses in both humanitarian and development settings, ensuring access to health care, social services, and legal support. Its initiatives are guided by the Flourish: UNFPA Gender-Based Violence Operational Plan and the UNFPA Strategy and Operational Plan to Scale Up and Strengthen Interventions on Gender-Based Violence in Emergencies 2023–2025. UNFPA also addresses the growing intersections between GBV, climate change, protracted crises, and population movements, working across the humanitarian-development-peace nexus to strengthen preparedness, resilience, and long-term development. 

At the regional level UNFPA/EECA, the major milestone in 2025 was the co-development of the eight Regional GBV Case Management systems (Regional tool) strengthening tools through ongoing engagement with seven country offices (COs) in the region (Albania, Armenia, Georgia, Kazakhstan, North Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan). The regional tool offers a practical and adaptable approach to apply intersectional systems thinking tools to strengthen GBV case management systems. It is conceived as a living resource, to be further developed through future applications, learning and country and sub-national experiences. The toolkit is intended to support peer learning and experience sharing across EECA country offices as they work with national partners to prevent and respond to GBV and harmful practices.   

Addressing Technology-Facilitated GBV (TFGBV): 

UNFPA has been leading work on addressing TFGBV since 2021 with publication of Making All Spaces Safe: Technology-facilitated GBV and launched the Making All Spaces Safe global programme (2024–2027), with the support of Global Affairs Canada,  to tackle this issue. This initiative focuses on addressing TFGBV through comprehensive, survivor-centred programming. It works to improve frontline, multi-sectoral response to TFGBV, integrates digital literacy into prevention programming, advocates for rights-based law reform, and promotes safety-by-design standards in technology design in order to mitigate harm. The programme is being implemented globally, with a focus on Kenya and Benin, to address the evolving nature of GBV in digital spaces. UNFPA are also leading the Safety Showcase: Re-imagining Gender in Technology with the support of the United Kingdom to highlight tech products, policies and features that prioritise safety, security and privacy at the heart of design and deployment. 

Global Initiatives and Partnerships: 

UNFPA is a key partner in the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, supporting civil society initiatives worldwide. It also actively participates in the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, advocating for increased activism to ensure women and girls can live free from violence and coercion. Through its global programmes and partnerships, UNFPA continues to set standards for survivor-centred care and drive transformative change to end GBV in all its forms. 

Women at the Centre is UNFPA's first global programme focused on increasing and sustaining quality GBV case management services for survivors, with a particular focus on women and girls from marginalized communities, including those with disabilities, Indigenous and rural women, and LGBTIQ+ people. Supported by Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited, the programme invests in workforce professionalization, accreditation pathways for the social service workforce, and the first UNFPA global curriculum on GBV case management, strengthening survivor-centred systems aligned with international standards. Women at the Centre is being implemented in El Salvador, Indonesia, Madagascar and Zimbabwe, and previously in Azerbaijan.

The kNOwVAWdata initiative supports countries to conduct safe and ethical research on the prevalence of violence against women, and to translate this evidence into policy and programming. Originally focused on Asia and the Pacific, the initiative has expanded to Africa, Eastern Europe and Central Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean and the Middle East. A core feature is the kNOwVAWdata course, developed with the University of Melbourne and adapted regionally in partnership with institutions including the American University of Central Asia and the American University in Cairo, which builds the capacity of national statistical systems, civil society and researchers to generate, analyze and use data in line with SDG indicators 5.2.1 and 5.2.2.

Launched in 2024 with the support of Global Affairs Canada, Making All Spaces Safe (MASS) is UNFPA's global programme addressing technology-facilitated GBV (TFGBV). The programme strengthens global, national and community-level capacity to prevent, mitigate and respond to TFGBV through five pillars: response, prevention, law and policy, research and evaluation, and convening efforts. MASS comprises global interventions alongside country programmes in Benin, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria and, soon Tunisia, and promotes rights-based law reform and safety-by-design standards in technology development. Tools developed under the programme include the TFGBV SHIELD tech-safety checklist for front-line service providers and a Global Response Hub that connects GBV service providers with technologists and cybersecurity experts to support on complex cases.

Supported by Global Affairs Canada, EmpowerED is UNFPA's global initiative to increase access to gender-transformative comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) for adolescents and young people, both in and out of school, enhance young people’s sexual and reproductive health and rights, and help them achieve full bodily autonomy and a life free from violence. EmpowerED has a particular focus on addressing gender inequality and preventing GBV, and is currently being rolled out in 10 countries across all six UNFPA regions. The programme seeks to iIncrease the availability, accessibility and quality of comprehensive sexuality education content and delivery through traditional and digital channels; accelerate the scale-up of programmes in the 10 focus countries and foster links to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence protection services; and leverage civil society networks and partnerships for advocacy, knowledge generation and technical collaboration on comprehensive sexuality education.

UNFPA is one of three core implementing UN agencies for the Spotlight Initiative, alongside UN Women and UNDP, under a joint partnership with the European Union launched in 2017 to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. During its first phase (2017-2023), close to 3 million women and girls accessed GBV services, and prevention campaigns reached audiences of nearly 384 million. UNFPA continues to draw on the lessons and partnerships of the Initiative to inform its programming and advocacy at global, regional and country levels.

UNFPA serves on the Global Steering Committee of the WPHF alongside sister UN entities, CSO partners, and Member States. Through the WPHF, UNFPA advances our support and engagement with women-led organizations working on women, peace, and security and humanitarian action around the world. As a member of the board, we: i) support partnerships, coordination, advocacy and resource mobilization at global level; ii) support the establishment, validation, and adjustment of the Fund’s strategic direction as well as the management of the Fund’s operations; iii) decide on the allocation of funds to eligible countries and the transfer of funds to participating organizations for global projects and sudden onset emergencies; iv) provide quality assurance of the Fund’s knowledge products; v) approve the Fund’s risk management strategy and reviewed risk regularly; and vi) monitor progress against the results framework, provided general oversight and exercised overall accountability of the WPHF.

At the country level, UNFPA serves as the PUNO in Libya, Chad, Syria, Iran, and Sudan where WPHF funds have been used for humanitarian crisis and response, conflict resolution, the protection of women and girls, peacebuilding and recovery and towards fostering an enabling environment for WPS. More specifically, WPHF has been used to: i) enhance the safety, security, and mental health of women and girls and ensure the respect of their human rights; ii) provide women and adolescent girls with accessible and high-quality GBV prevention and response services; iii) avail capacity-building support to women-led CSOs in view of empowering women and youth for sustainable peacebuilding; iv) address priorities and close gaps in funding women's rights/led organizations that promote the participation, decision-making, leadership, and protection of adult and young women in response to humanitarian crises, among other areas.

Agency Type
UN Agencies
Title
United Nations Population Fund
Icon
UNFPA

Mar 2013 - Feb 2014 | UN Women;
UNFPA

UNFPA and UN Women launched and rolled out the Joint Global Programme on Essential Services for Women and Girls subject to Violence. This Joint Programme is aimed at responding to the critical gaps and challenges that limit expanded access to quality multi-sectoral services for all women and girls victims/survivors of violence. With a particular focus on developing countries, the programme aims to achieve greater access for all women and girls who have experienced violence to a set of essential quality and coordinated multi-sectoral services.

Mar 2012 - Feb 2013 | UNFPA

In 2012, UNFPA responded to crises under the GBV cluster coordination mechanism with special focus on the health needs of women and girls in Afghanistan, Burundi, Chad, Colombia, Cote d’Ivoire, DR Congo, Georgia, Guinea, Haiti, Indonesia, Kenya, Kyrgyzstan, Lebanon, Liberia, Libya, Mali, Mauritania, Mozambique, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan, the Philippines, Somalia, South Sudan, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Uganda and Zimbabwe.

Mar 2012 - Feb 2013 | UNFPA

In 2012, around 3,144 health facilities have integrated FGM/C in their reproductive health services, particularly in their antenatal and postnatal care, with the support of UNFPA. UNFPA has ongoing collaboration with the Auckland University of Technology to support health systems in Fiji, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Kiribati to better respond to survivors of violence, including through the development of protocols and multi-sectoral referral mechanisms, as well as training for doctors and nurses.

Mar 2010 - Sept 2010 | UNFPA

UNFPA has developed a knowledge asset on "Addressing Violence against Women and Girls in Sexual and Reproductive Health Services". The review of the literature in this asset focuses on the integration of violence against women and girls – into sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, aimed at providing guidance to health sector programme designers and managers. This asset is available on the following web-link: http://www.unfpa.org/public/home/publications/pid/6233.

Mar 2009 - Sept 2009 | UNFPA

UNFPA Madagascar supported centers and legal advice for victims of violence. UNFPA country programmes supported the strengthening of the health sector response to gender-based violence, and reported a higher percentage rate of inclusion of gender-based violence issues in pre- and in-service training of health service providers as compared to 64 per cent in 2007. Working with a number of partners, initiatives included the development of medical kits to treat survivors of gender-based violence in Guatemala.

Jul 2007 | UNFPA

In Kenya, UNFPA advocates for and provides counselling services for rescued girls who escaped from FGM/C or forced marriages to help them to return home without risking their health and well-being. UNFPA is working jointly with UNICEF on the prevention and treatment of sexual and gender-based violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).UNFPA promotes availability of services to victims of violence, including counselling for affected groups such as young people, pregnant women, the displaced and refugees.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UN Women;
UNDP;
UNFPA;
UNV

In Asia-Pacific, the work of the inter-agency initiative “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) was ongoing. Engagingmen.net (www.engagingmen.net) is a website where practitioners can share resources and learn about training opportunities. “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) organized several training sessions to support national social media campaigns in China, India, and Indonesia. Demand Media, a leading online media company and expert in developing social media platforms, provides pro bono support for the national campaigns.

Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNFPA

A short film that showcases the Inter-agency joint programming initiative on Violence Against Women in the 10 pilot countries was developed and released during the global consultation on “Delivering as One on Addressing Violence Against Women: From Intent to Action”, organised by UNFPA. The movie “Senegal: Beyond Tradition” that focuses on FGM/C prevention has been developed by UNFPA for broadcast on television networks around the world (including CNN, BBC Arabic, France 24, Denmark 4 and 55 other international networks).

Oct 2009 - Feb 2010 | UNFPA

In November 2009, UNFPA hosted a consultation in Dakar, Senegal, on engaging men and boys in gender equality and preventing HIV, aimed at sharing promising practices among UNFPA staff and partners, while identifying ways of strengthening and institutionalizing this work, particularly at the policy level.
Subscribe to UNFPA