Mar 2011 - Feb 2012

WHO reported that the 5th Milestones of a Global Campaign for Violence Prevention Meeting was held in Cape Town, South Africa. Under the theme "Joining forces, empowering prevention" almost 300 experts from more than 60 countries discussed progress in WHO's Global Campaign for Violence Prevention and strategized the way ahead by developing a global plan of action for 2012-2020. A special session during the meeting was dedicated to new research and effective interventions to address intimate partner and sexual violence.

In the context of the 60th anniversary of the Refugee Convention and the 50th anniversary of the Statelessness Convention, UNHCR organized a series of in-depth Dialogues with over 1,000 refugees and displaced women and girls in seven different countries. From those Dialogues, a number of recommendations, including on ending violence against women, emerged that are currently being implemented by the respective UNHCR offices and partner organizations.

OHCHR supported the convening of the fourth session of the Forum on minority issues, established by Human Rights Council resolution 6/15, which took place on 29 and 30 November 2011 in Geneva and focused on "Guaranteeing the rights of minority women and girls.” Over 400 participants attended this fourth session, including persons belonging to minorities from all regions, representatives of non-governmental organizations, academia and experts as well as delegates from United Nations Member States.

Issue # 10 of Words to Action, UN Women’s quarterly newsletter on violence against women, was produced, with a feature article on reparations for women who have been subjected to violence.UN Women supported an International Conference of Islamic Scholars (Ulemas) of West Africa, Egypt and Sudan on the position of Islam regarding harmful practices perpetrated on women, at the issue of which a regional fatwa (sharia law ruling) banning female genital mutilation was adopted. This fatwa has become a key instrument to raise the awareness of the population on this issue.