UN-Civil Society Partnership Against Sexual Violence in Conflict & Crisis
Author: Womens UN Report Network
Date: June 19, 2006
Launch of Joint UN–Civil Society Partnership Against Sexual
Violence in Conflict and Crisis Settings
19 June 2006
United Nations, New York — United Nations organizations and
civil society groups today announced a Joint Partnership to tackle sexual
violence in conflict and crisis situations around the world. This Joint
Partnership builds on existing initiatives and will address not only the threat
that sexual violence poses to life and livelihood of survivors, but also the
longer-term impact on community and national development.
Focusing on country-level efforts to combat sexual violence, the partnership
will reach out to military and security communities to engage them, work to
strengthen prevention through rule-of-law and access to justice, and expand
services for survivors in the areas of health, psycho-social support and
rebuilding dignity and livelihoods. The partnership will also develop a
comprehensive evidence base for action through violence monitoring and tracking
systems and dissemination of data analyses.
The need for stronger collaborative efforts to deal with gender-based
violence is extremely urgent, UNIFEM Executive Director Noeleen Heyzer said,
speaking at the launch of the partnership at the Swedish permanent mission in
Geneva. Ceasefires are violated, and countries can slip back into violence —
requiring constant monitoring. The massive and growing rates of sexual violence
in conflict and crisis situations are a clear emergency, she said, and yet not
enough is being done — to prevent violence, assist survivors, or even find out
exactly how many women and children are affected.
The Joint Partnership will build on and strengthen existing collaboration
within the United Nations on the issue, including guidelines developed by the
Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC), the primary mechanism for inter-agency
coordination of humanitarian assistance, that brings UN and non-UN humanitarian
partners together, as well as the lessons and experience derived from the UN
Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women, which UNIFEM manages. It will be
the first initiative to combat gender-based violence that includes joint UN and
civil society governing structures and resource mobilization processes. This is
intended to significantly enhance and deepen partnerships, linkages and
resources at local, national, regional and global levels to eliminate violence
and provide much-needed assistance to those threatened by such violence.
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