National Policies

In November 2011, based on the recommendations of “The UNAIDS Action for Results: Outcomes Framework 2009-2011”, a multi-stakeholder meeting was held in Istanbul. UNFPA, in collaboration with UNDP, UNWOMEN, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR and the MenEngage Alliance (Sonke Gender Justice and the Athena Network) and in close collaboration with the Interagency Working Group on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV, will support select pilot countries for roll-out of policy development work in 2012 as identified in the Istanbul meeting.

Based on the outcome of a 2010 expert group meeting, organized by UN Women, in cooperation with ECLAC/Subregional Headquarters for the Caribbean. UN Women developed and issued in June 2011 a Handbook for national action plans on violence against women. The Handbook presents a model framework for national action plans on violence against women, which sets out detailed recommendations, accompanied by explanatory commentaries and good practice examples. The Handbook is available at: https://www.un.org/womenwatch/daw/vaw/handbook-for-nap-on-vaw.htm.

Through a gender-based violence Coordination mechanism established by UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, and GIZ in 2010, Cambodia has been at the forefront of joint advocacy and behavioral change initiatives.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, signed a Memorandum of Understanding with UNODC, to implement trafficking programmes in South Asia.

Two WHO publications on violence against women have been released. Preventing intimate partner and sexual violence: taking action and generating evidence provides a framework for developing policies and programmes for the prevention of intimate partner and sexual violence. It emphasizes the importance of evaluating prevention initiatives in order to improve their effectiveness, and expand the global evidence base in this area. Addressing violence against women and HIV/AIDS: what works?

In every region, UNDP – with its national partners and in collaboration with UN Country Teams- continues to support the development and implementation of strategies and actions plans on domestic violence. As convener of the gender thematic window of the MDG Achievement Fund (MDG-F), UNDP supports and partners in the implementation of a number of joint programs which address gender-based violence in an integrated manner, including in many cases through the development of national strategies.

UNFPA is leading the coordination efforts of the gender-based violence cluster to address GBV/VAW in Haiti in the aftermath of the earthquake. UNFPA Country Offices – in more than 32 countries – are operationalizing various components of UN Security Council Resolution 1325, under the four pillars of the Resolution. UNFPA’s partnership with UNICEF globally and in 17 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.

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, continues to provide technical assistance to advocates, including national women’s machineries, for the development of National Action Plans to end violence against women in: eight Caribbean countries; the Seychelles, through work with the Ministry of Health and Social Development; and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, through a workshop with the Palestinian Ministry of Women’s Affairs on the National Strategy to Combat Violence against Women.

UNRWA is participating in the different UN taskforces aiming to build national strategies to end violence against women in Lebanon, Syria and the occupied Palestinian territory (oPt). In the latter specifically, UNRWA is addressing gender-based violence through its participation in the Gender Equality - Social, Political and Economic programme.

In May 2010, seven UN agencies (UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, UNDP, UNHCR, OHCHR, UNFPA, UNICEF, WHO) have launched a three-year UN Joint Program "Ending violence against women - a national priority for Kyrgyzstan".