National Policies

The joint UNDP-UN Women regional study "The States’commitment: Plans and policies to end violence against women in Latin America and the Caribbean" analyzes in depth the national plans of action of 32 countries in the region, their links to the existing legislative framework and lessons learned.

UNDP, often in partnership with other UN agencies, supported the development or revision and implementation of national action plans and strategies to address VAW in general (Cambodia, Kyrgyzstan, Namibia, Nepal, OPT, and Zimbambwe), or specific forms such as trafficking (Albania), domestic violence (Albania, Serbia), or electoral VAW (Nepal). It also contributed to the integration of gender-based violence and the engagement of men and boys in National Strategic Plans on HIV in Kazakhstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Ukraine.

The Gender Equality Observatory for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) has designed an analysis matrix for identifying fair gender equality policies which proposes an assessment of the capacity of public policies to tackle: (a) socioeconomic injustice, (b) legal and cultural injustice, and (c) representation injustice. This initiative aims to highlight fair policies from a gender perspective as well as their assessment and implementation.

UNODC conducted a situational assessment on gender-based violence to support national strategic planning efforts of Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia and Swaziland.

Under the UNAIDS Action for Results: Outcomes Framework 2009-2011, UNFPA, UNDP, UN WOMEN, WHO, UNICEF, UNHCR, in collaboration with the Men Engage Alliance (Sonke Gender Justice and the Athena Network), as well as the Interagency Working Group on Women, Girls, Gender Equality and HIV – supported select pilot countries in addressing the linkages between GBV and HIV and AIDS in national strategic plans; building effective partnerships at the national level in order to integrate a comprehensive response to violence against women and girls into national AIDS strategies and plans; and strengthening

UN Women supported new local or national action plans to end violence against women in Cambodia, the Dominican Republic, FYR Macedonia (second generation strategy 2012-2015), Indonesia, Timor Leste (together with UNDP, UNFPA, IOM and UNICEF), and the Maldives (through a multi-sectoral group convened by the SG Campaign). In addition, the Family Protection Authority was established in the Maldives to oversee the implementation of the new action plan.

In Latin America, OHCHR and UN Women, together with the Spanish Federation of Human Rights Organizations and the Carlos IIII University of Madrid supported the formulation of a regional Protocol for the investigation of Femicide. The protocol will assist in strengthening national capacities to investigate, prosecute, punish and redress femicide. The Protocol will be promoted through, inter alia, regional and international human rights mechanisms. In Kosovo, OHCHR supported the development of a national action plan on Security Council resolution 1325.

In 2012, UNICEF commissioned the production of a handbook on Birth Registration for use by UNICEF staff; produced a technical guidance note on age assessment procedures in English, French and Spanish; assisted 38 countries (21 from sub-Saharan Africa) to complete a mapping of their child protection systems; developed together with an NGO working group on children without parental care, ‘Moving Forward: Implementing the ‘Guidelines for the Alternative Care of Children’, an implementation handbook; and made available the child-friendly and staff-friendly versions of the Guidelines for the Altern

UNDP is supporting the development of national plans, including: Sectorial Regional Gender Actions Plans in line with the National Gender Strategy (2012-2020) in Kyrgyzstan; a new National Action Plan on Violence against Women, accounting for the recommendations from the Feasibility Study for One Stop Service Center (OSSC) for Survivors of Violence against Women together with the GBV sub-committee of the gender technical working group in Cambodia; and a a Five Year Plan (FY 2012-2016) against Gender Based Violence in Nepal being implemented with the support of gender desks that have been estab

In Guatemala, UNAIDS, with the government and civil society, jointly developed the National Action Framework with a focus on gender-based violence, which has been further incorporated into the operational plan of Guatemala’s National HIV Strategy.