United Nations Population Fund

The UNFPA sub-regional strategy on Gender-based Violence for Latin America and the Caribbean region was released in September 2011. Hide

In October 2011, UNFPA held the global meeting in Viet Nam on “Skewed sex ratios and why we care the way forward” in collaboration with the Viet Nam UNCT and the Government of Viet Nam with the objectives of: 1) taking stock of emerging trends/state of the art relating to new geographical pockets of skewed sex ratios and subsequently determining strategies for south-south cooperation, especially since some countries, like in the Caucasus, are demonstrating an emerging trend in terms of an imbalanced sex ratio at birth and since other countries like Viet Nam and India have demonstrated some good practices in working with national counterparts to address the issue; and 2) sharing UNFPA and other stakeholders’ experiences on policy development and programming on this issue. Hide

As a key member of UN Action as well as co-chair of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee on Sexual Violence in Conflict, UNFPA is actively involved in addressing issues of sexual violence in conflict via ongoing programmatic interventions in countries that are in conflict, post-conflict and humanitarian settings. Hide

UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting (FGM/C) supported passage of laws criminalizing FGM/C in Kenya and Guinea-Bissau. Hide

UNFPA continued to provide support to the Kofi Annan Peace Institute in Ghana to develop capacities of grassroots women to implement Security Council resolution 1325 components in select African countries. The training curriculum on women, peace and security for the African region was developed over 2011 and will be rolled out over 2012. Hide

OHCHR, UNFPA and other UN agencies participated in the work of the Standing Committee on Women, Peace and Security of INAGWE and in 2011 was closely involved in the development of the 1325 Strategic Framework and in the technical development of relevant 1325 indicators. Hide

UNFPA carried out several workshops and programmes in order to strengthen the capacity of governmental officials and civil society represenatives to address violence against women and their access to sexual and reproductive health services. Such efforts included:- the development of a curriculum, in collaboration with UN ECLAC, on the implementation of the SCR;- support to the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders to develop capacities of grassroots women’s activists to advocate on SCR 1325 implementation, in Burundi and Nepal;- a workshop targeting government and civil society stakeholders in the Caribbean region to roll out the UNFPA Regional Strategy on Sexual Violence;- consultations in South Africa on the importance of gender transformative approaches in addressing violence against women and its impact, promoting reproductive health and rights;- engaging men and boys to promote gender equality, addressing gender-based violence;- development of a comprehensive course and manual for police training programmes in Afghanistan, which cover the forms, causes, and consequences of violence against women in Afghanistan, national, international laws and women’s rights in Islam, evidence collection and referral mechanisms;- technical and financial support to the Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees in Bosnia and Herzegovina to develop a programme for improvement of the status of women victims of conflict-related sexual violence, including through rehabilitation, reparations and re-socialization;- development of pocket-sized "National Law Cards" in South Sudan, as a reference tool, to assist judges, lawyers, police officers, health care workers, and other stakeholders working with survivors. Hide

"UNFPA's Strategic Guidance for Engaging Men and Boys" has been developed and carefully drafted to guide UNFPA's work with men and boys, to serve as strategic guidance for the Fund’s actions at the Global, Regional and Country levels. Hide

In Asia-Pacific, the work of the inter-agency initiative “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) was ongoing. Engagingmen.net (www.engagingmen.net) is a website where practitioners can share resources and learn about training opportunities. “Partners for Prevention” (P4P) organized several training sessions to support national social media campaigns in China, India, and Indonesia. Demand Media, a leading online media company and expert in developing social media platforms, provides pro bono support for the national campaigns. In December 2010, P4P organized a meeting with various stakeholders from Cambodia, Indonesia, Mongolia, Fiji, the Philippines and Vietnam, who work to engage boys and men for ending violence against women. The participants agreed to work together to develop regional curricula and a collective approach for knowledge creation and sharing across the region.In December 2010, the Asian Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development (AFPPD) “Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Children” met in Port Macquarie, Australia, where male parliamentarians from 13 countries signed a pledge to take action in their own countries and to stand together as a collective group to advocate for more actions for violence prevention among their peers. “Partners for Prevention” is supporting the Standing Committee of Male Parliamentarians as a collaborative partner with AFPPD and UNFPA. “Partners for Prevention” and AFPPD are conducting research on the challenges that parliamentarians face in moving prevention policy forward, and on ways to support them in their role in preventing violence. Hide

UNFPA in collaboration with UNIFEM and UNESCAP organised a capacity development workshop in Thailand in October 2010 aimed at helping 11 country offices in the Asia-Pacific region understand SCR 1325. This workshop also launched the Asia-Pacific technical platform on SCR 1325, the purpose of which is to provide technical assistance to countries in the region on the development of National Action Plans on SCR 1325. Hide