United Nations Volunteers

In 2017, UN Volunteers hosted by UN Women supported communications and public advocacy of gender equality among communities.

In Togo, the UNV-implemented project Voices Against Violence provided interactive, youth-centred ways for people to talk and learn about relationships and gender equity in a safe and inclusive environment. A total of 500 national volunteer teachers were trained in the principles of respectful and non-violent behaviour. They then delivered the programme in their classes and their communities – multiplying the power of the project by spreading the curriculum to thousands of young Togolese.

Partners for Prevention (P4P) was a UNDP, UNFP, UNV and UN Women regional joint programme for the prevention of violence against women and girls in Asia and the Pacific. It focused on the prevention interventions, capacity development and policy advocacy by working on the ground with local volunteers. Volunteers acted as a bridge between the UN, governments and national and regional partners. In 2017, UN Volunteers served as project coordinators with P4P in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and Viet Nam.

In Afghanistan, UNV supports the Youth-Mullah Gender Volunteer Caravans, through which young Afghan men and women are crafting campaigns and visiting communities in Herat and Balkh provinces to spread their messages of gender equality.

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Applying Social Media Tools for the Prevention of Gender-based Violence: Lessons learned from social media communication campaigns to prevent gender-based violence in India, China and Viet Nam’; was launched and disseminated by P4P in 2013. This resource consolidates learning from the P4P initiative ‘Engaging Young Men through Social Media for the Prevention of Violence against Women’. “Let’s Talk Men 2.0” film series7 launched in India, Pakistan, Nepal and Sri Lanka with accompanying tools for discussion facilitators. Hide

The UNV-run Takalm project in Jordan supported women’s empowerment and tackled gender based violence through a community radio shows in the Zarqa region advocating for women’s legal rights. Specific concerns were identified by a women’s community development committee aiming to foster civic engagement in local development while drawing the attention of decision makers to the challenges faced by marginalized groups including women. Hide

During the 16 Days of Activism Campaign, UN Volunteers carried out a series of initiatives in Bangladesh refugee camps, a reproductive health assistance was set up and worked with medical teams from partner organizations; in Cambodia, more than 28 UN Volunteers have been trained to be able to carry out activities during the campaign; in Sudan, UNV collaborated with UNFPA, civil society organizations, universities, governments and volunteers and joined efforts to fight gender-based violence (GBV). Hide

Through support for local organisations in India and Pakistan, UNV engaged boys and men to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) through a network of local and UN Volunteers. The project “Hamqadam – male involvement initiative to address GBV” initiated and sustained behavioural and attitudinal change in boys and men and sensitized them to violence against children and women. Hide

The Interagency Gender Group (IGG) organized and facilitated a workshop on “masculinities and men responsibilities towards ending violence against women” for 70 participants who were UN volunteers from universities and civil society currently collaborating with the UNV office. 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

In Asia Pacific, the Partners for Prevention (P4P) - an inter-agency initiative of UNDP, UNFPA, UNIFEM, now part of UN Women, and UNVs- which works with men and boys to prevent gender-based violence– has developed a comprehensive set of research tools on gender-based violence, including questionnaires, research protocols, and training manuals for the “Gender-based Violence Prevention and Masculinities” Collaborative Research Project for Asia and the Pacific. These tools have been shared with partners in Bangladesh, Cambodia, China, Indonesia and Papua New Guinea. In Cambodia, the research findings on GBV and masculinities are informing a public awareness campaign. P4P is also developing the capacity of national partners in China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Bangladesh, and Papua New Guinea to conduct research in this area, in order to develop evidence-based programs and policy initiatives to address GBV across the region. Networks of practitioners have been established in South Asia and Southeast & East Asia to support the civil society and UN advocates to implement initiatives on GBV prevention through work with men and boys. Hide

In Egypt, UNV is working with the UN system and the National Council for Childhood and Motherhood (NCCM) to delineate the role of volunteerism in the FGM-Free Village initiative. National UNV volunteers are involved as youth leaders at the village level to raise awareness about the health related consequences of female genital mutilation (FGM), and to advocate against the social pressure on young girls and women. Several villages have made public declarations renouncing FGM.In Sudan, UNV works closely with UNFPA, the Ahfad University for Women and other stakeholders, engaging local volunteers to tackle FGM. By involving males and youths in peer education, engaging midwives and mothers in sexual education, and working with schools to raise the awareness of children, UNV and community volunteers were able to challenge practicing FGM from a community perspective. A combination of innovative information materials, entry into the community through schools, and reaching the families of pupils through public events has led to engaging a greater number of people. To ensure sustainability, UNV and partners supported the creation of a new non-governmental organization comprising the community volunteers it mobilized.In Honduras, the joint programme for the Support of Human Security contributes to gender equality and youth development through volunteerism for peace and development. UNV promotes a “culture of peace” at the community level in a context where incidences of sexual and domestic violence are high. So far, the programme has encouraged over 500 youth, chosen from at risk areas/contexts, to voluntarily participate in activities. Hide

The Liberia National Youth Volunteer Service has 67 national volunteers working in health centres, hospitals and schools to promote reconciliation, peace education, gender equity in schools and awareness-raising of it in the health sectors. In one district, the local women’s organization has found major supporters in male national UNV Volunteers (NUNVs); in another, the NUNVs have supported a local programme (“men and women as partners to end violence against women”), and community members report that the occurrence of gender-based violence and rape has significantly decreased. Working alongside existing structures, or strengthening local organizations and movements, has been an effective strategy to discuss sensitive or “unpopular” subjects, such as traditional gender inequality. Hide