Measures to Address Sexual Violence in Conflict Situations

In 2008, UNDP/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery began the roll-out in 19 countries of the global programme Strengthening the Rule of Law in Conflict and Post-Conflict Situations. In eight conflict/post-conflict countries (including Central African Republic (CAR), Chad, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Guinea Bissau, Kosovo, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Somalia and Timor Leste), the programme has strong components on gender-based violence. Hide

OCHA’s Policy Development and Studies Branch organized an experts meeting to review current research on, and identify gaps in relation to: 1) Sexual violence in armed conflict: understanding the motivations; and 2) The nature, scope and motivation for sexual violence against men and boys in conflict. Key outputs of the meeting were: 1) Identification of research priorities in order to design more effective strategies for preventing sexual violence in armed conflict; and 2) Identification and agreement on next steps to build on the current knowledge-base and establish communities of practice. Hide

OCHA is the co-chair of the Executive Committees on Humanitarian Affairs and Peace and Security (ECHC/ECPS) UN and NGO Taskforce on protection from sexual exploitation and abuse. It led the development of field-guidance for the implementation of a victim’s assistance programme in accordance with GA resolution 62/214. Since 2008, 25 OCHA advisors have been deployed through GenCap to 18 humanitarian emergencies. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, facilitated the Wilton Park conference of May 2008 on the role of military peacekeepers in addressing sexual violence during armed conflict, and contributed to the dissemination of the results. Hide

In June 2008, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, organized a workshop with representatives from Afghanistan, Haiti, Liberia, Rwanda, Timor-Leste and Uganda as part of a programme on Supporting Women’s Engagement in Peace-Building and Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict: Community-Led Approaches. Hide

UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, advocated for the adoption of Security Council Resolution 1820 (2008) on sexual violence in conflict. As Chair of UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNDP/Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery (BCPR) advocated with Security Council members for the adoption of Security Council resolution 1820 (2008). Hide

In June 2008, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, in cooperation with UNICEF, OHCHR, UNFPA and the UN Peacekeeping Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo, held a regional consultation towards the creation of the regional action plan to eradicate sexual violence and end impunity in the Great Lakes Region. Hide

The Gender-based Violence Information Management System (GBVIMS) in humanitarian and recovery settings, a joint effort of UNFPA, UNHCR and the IRC, is a first attempt to systematize management of reported data related to gender-based violence, with a focus on humanitarian and recovery contexts. A technical consultation was undertaken by the inter-agency team (UNFPA, the IRC and UNHCR) to pilot test the GBVIMS system in Uganda in May 2008. Hide

OHCHR contributed to the elaboration of a pilot project in the Democratic Republic of Congo to enhance access to justice for survivors of sexual violence. Hide

Under the United Nations System-wide Work Programme on Scaling-up HIV/AIDS Services for Populations of Humanitarian Concern (PHC), in 2008 FAO analyzed the results of the research undertaken in 2007 in Kenya on the linkages between HIV/AIDS, gender inequality, and sexual and gender-based violence among populations of humanitarian concern (PHC) and refined the research tools to undertake a similar assessment in two provinces in Northern Uganda. This assessment will concentrate specifically on understanding the impact of sexual and gender-based violence on people's livelihood options, particularly among PHC. Hide