The New Nation - Internet Edition

Nanette Braun

UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict unites the work of 12 UN entities with the aim of amplifying and better coordinating the work of the UN System in response to sexual violence during and after conflict. It seeks to galvanize global concern about rape as a weapon of war and speed up the response of the peacekeeping, humanitarian and development communities to violations of women's rights in conflict and post-conflict settings. UN Action is supporting a global advocacy effort to "stop rape now" - working alongside bodies such as the Security Council to tackle sexual violence as a threat to international peace and security; intensifying the UN System's efforts to prevent and respond to sexual violence by providing strategic and technical support to UN Country Teams and peacekeeping operations in countries in conflict; and building a knowledge hub mapping good practice and effective responses to the needs of survivors and their communities.

United nations children's fund: The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) is committed to the protection, empowerment and promotion of women and girls and recognizes that women's rights are fundamental for the fulfillment of children's rights. UNICEF works on genderbased violence through prevention, protection, and recovery and reintegration. Recent activities include the campaign "Stop Raping Our Greatest Resource, Power to the Women and Girls of Democratic Republic of Congo", which called for an end to impunity for sexual violence and full implementation of laws that protect and empower women. Working in areas of armed conflict where girls and women are especially vulnerable to sexual violence, activities include capacity building, with emphasis on the training of police, judiciary and teachers, as well as women and girls themselves.

UNICEF works for the elimination of all harmful traditional practices, including female genital mutilation/ cutting and early marriages, supporting community-based interventions and working to institute change through legislative reform. It provides support for the implementation of all of the recommendations of the Secretary-General's Study of Violence against Children, with special focus on gender-based violence, and has produced the publication From Invisible to Indivisible: Promoting and Protecting the Right of the Girl Child to Be Free from Violence.

United nations development programme: The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supports governments in the development of national strategies and development plans which are in line with international commitments on eliminating violence against women. Through multi-sectoral, targeted interventions, UNDP supports the capacity-building of policy makers, law enforcement agencies and communities to end gender-based violence. UNDP works on development of databases and sex-disaggregated data, so that there is necessary empirical evidence on gender-based violence to formulate accurate and targeted policy interventions.

UNDP invests in counseling and legal services, mediation and rehabilitation, as well as micro-enterprise activities for survivors of gender-based violence. It also focuses on engaging men and boys as partners in the prevention of gender-based violence.

By working with UN agencies and groups such as faith-based organizations, traditional leaders, civil society and the media, UNDP contributes to galvanizing action for ending gender-based violence. Recent activities include the Human Development and Violence against Women study in Mexico, the joint Asia-Pacific regional programme of the UN System and its partners called "Partners for Prevention: Working with Boys and Men to Prevent Gender-Based Violence", and the capacity-building project in Albania titled "Violence against women - no longer a family issue".

United nations development fund for women : The United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) provides financial and technical assistance to innovative programmes and strategies to foster women's empowerment and gender equality. UNIFEM has implemented various campaigns to fight violence against women, including the "Say NO to Violence Against Women" campaign.

This internet-based advocacy campaign invites people to add their names to a virtual book as an expression of public support and call to action. The UN Foundation is donating $1 for each of the first 100,000 signatures. The campaign runs through 25 November 2008, the International Day to End Violence against Women, when signatures will be handed over to the Secretary-General. Plans for 2008 include an International Women's Day event in early March where Avon Global Ambassador Reese Witherspoon, UNIFEM and Avon will announce a partnership to advance women's empowerment and rights, and launch the Avon Empowerment Fund. This new fund will contribute to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, managed by UNIFEM, for initiatives working on the implementation of laws and policies.