Measures

The project “Strengthening prevention of sexual violence in conflict with parties to armed conflict (phase I)” was submitted for funding to UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict in December 2009. The project, in which UNICEF, UNFPA, DPA and OCHA have partnered up, aims to develop a set of tools and approaches for engaging parties to conflict, and calling on them to respect international law and to stop using rape and other forms of sexual violence as a weapon of warfare. Hide

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. Hide

UNFPA carried out advocacy activities that link up with the Secretary-General’s campaign, such as hosting an exhibition on “Congo Women” and “Women in the Frontline” in October 2009, at the UN Secretariat in New York, in which the Secretary-General’s Campaign featured; supported the launch of the Secretary-General’s network of men leaders to combat violence against women and a photo-exhibition on the theme of men and boys in this event; it was a key partner in the launch of the Secretary-General’s campaign in Latin America and Africa; and initiated country-level efforts on the campaign in Africa and Latin America. Hide

UNFPA, in collaboration with UNIFEM HQ and UNFPA and UNIFEM country offices, and key government and civil society organization stakeholders, held capacity development workshops, in Uganda and in Sierra Leone, to develop key indicators under the National Action Plans on Security Council resolution (SCR) 1325. Hide

In November 2009, UNFPA participated and was a key note speaker in the international conference on monitoring implementation of Security Council resolutions 1325 and 1820, held in Oslo, Norway. Hide

In December 2009, UNFPA held a training in Mauritius for staff working in regional and country offices to improve their capacity to effectively prevent and respond to GBV in humanitarian settings and to coordinate multi-sectoral responses to GBV in humanitarian settings. In November 2009, UNFPA, in collaboration with the International Center for Reproductive Health at Ghent University in Belgium, organized a 2-week training for humanitarian professionals in Ghent, Belgium, on addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian settings. Hide

UNFPA partnered with the Center for Diseases Control (CDC), the Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNIFEM and WHO in a multi-country multi-stakeholder initiative on addressing sexual violence against girls. The initiative is being rolled out in 4 pilot countries. Hide

UN Action presented seminars on Security Council resolutions 1820/1888 and on sexual violence for UNHCR and WHO staff, in Geneva. A briefing for a range of donors and civil society partners on the UN response to the new Security Council frameworks was presented in December 2009 in Geneva, hosted by the Norwegian Mission. In October 2009, UN Action presented a “webinar” on Security Council resolutions 1820 and 1888, hosted by UNFPA, for UNFPA field staff. A briefing for Peacebuilding Support Office (PBSO) staff was held in January 2010. At the request of the DSRSG of MINURCAT, UN Action undertook a technical assessment mission to Chad, in November 2009, to better understand the UN system’s response to conflict-related sexual violence and to explore options for strategic support. The assessment team held consultations with representatives from a range of UN agencies. Strategic support is being provided to MINURCAT and the UNCT to develop a Comprehensive Strategy on Gender-based Violence – Including Sexual Violence, for Eastern Chad. In January 2010, UN Action in collaboration with UNDP engaged a Senior Advisor in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to oversee implementation of the Comprehensive Strategy on Combating Sexual Violence in DRC.At the request of the RC/HC, UN Action fielded an inter-agency mission to Cote d’Ivoire, in January 2010, to assess options for support to the UN’s response to gender-based violence, including sexual violence, and to review the draft National Strategy on Sexual and Gender-Based Violence.UNDP, OHCHR and DPKO worked under UN Action auspices to develop a joint concept note for a rapidly-deployable Team of Experts on rule of law, as mandated by Security Council resolution 1888, to help address impunity for sexual violence. The UN Action Resource Management Committee approved two funding proposals to support UN system-wide action at country level:(1) Establishing a system to track allocations and expenditures on sexual violence programmes through UN managed financing mechanisms (e.g. CAPs, CERF, CHFs, PBSO, MDTFs) and other sexual violence related funding modalities as part of a broader effort to track gender related allocations; and(2) Training of humanitarian actors to facilitate the roll-out of the Standard Operating Procedures Guide on addressing gender-based violence in humanitarian settings.UN Action convened inter-agency meetings to assist Member States in the framing of Security Council resolution 1888, adopted on 30 September 2009.Under its knowledge-building pillar, the UN Action Resource Management Committee approved a funding proposal submitted to UN Action’s Multi-Donor Trust Fund to map examples of positive interactions with non-State actors, with a view to developing preventative diplomacy strategies and guidance on addressing sexual violence with non-State armed groups.UN Action continued to support the Secretary-General’s campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women, through regular participation in the inter-agency working. UN Action promoted a global online photo drive during the 16 Days of Activism against GBV 2009 and in collaboration with DPI, it presented its images, as a photo montage, at the launch of the Secretary-General's Network of Men Leaders in November 2009.UN Action mobilized new media/social networking tools to amplify the Stop Rape Now campaign (www.facebook.com/unaction; www.twitter.com/unaction). A Public Service Announcement (PSA) has been developed for broadcast and online distribution, with support from OCHA, UNIFEM and DPI, to popularize the “Stop Rape Now” message.In collaboration with the UN Division for the Advancement of Women, UN Action contributed the “Feature Item” on sexual violence in conflict settings for the October 2009 issue of Words to Action: Newsletter on violence against women, issued by the UN Division for the Advancement of Women. Hide

Pursuant to resolution 18/1 of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, UNODC convened an intergovernmental expert group meeting, in Thailand, in November 2009, to develop, consistent with the Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners (SMR) and the United Nations Standard Minimum Rules for Non-custodial Measures (the Tokyo Rules), supplementary rules specific to the treatment of women in detention and in custodial and non-custodial settings. The meeting was attended by experts from twenty-five countries and non-governmental organizations and it endorsed a set of seventy draft rules. Hide

WHO and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) are working on new estimates of prevalence and health risk of intimate partner violence, non-partner sexual violence and child sexual abuse for the Global Burden of Disease Study. Hide