UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women announces over US$8 million in grants

UN WOMEN PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
7 November 2012

Media Inquiries:
Oisika Chakrabarti, oisika.chakrabarti[at]unwomen.org, +1 646 781-4522

UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women Announces over US$8 Million in grants
Women in conflict and transitional countries take center-stage

The funds allocated have been received by more than 350 initiatives in 128 countries over the course of the UNTF's 16-year history

United Nations, New York — The United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) today kicked off its 16th year announcing more than US$8 million in grants to 12 local initiatives in 18 countries. In ten countries, funds will be used to address violence against women in conflict, post conflict and transitional settings, including Libya for the first time.

Also for the first time, the Fund received significant support this year from countries in Africa, Latin America and the Arab States region, a testament to the growing mobilization to address violence against women globally. Today up to seven in ten women are targeted for physical and or sexual violence in their lifetime and 603 million women live in countries where domestic violence is still not considered a crime.

With these grants, the UN Trust Fund has supported 351 programmes in 128 countries and territories with more than US$86 million disbursed, since it was established by the UN General Assembly in 1996. However, increased funding for the UN Trust Fund is urgently needed for life-saving programmes in countries around the world. This year alone, the UN Trust Fund received 2,210 applications from 121 countries and was able to fund only one percent of them. In monetary terms, proposals for funding amounted to US$1.1 billion, but only US$ 8.2 million could be awarded - less than 1 percent of the total demand.

“The UN Trust Fund shows what works to prevent violence against women, to end impunity and to provide services and support to survivors, said Michelle Bachelet, Executive Director of UN Women. “I appeal to governments, business and foundations to support the work of this fund and make a strong contribution to ending violence against women and girls.

This year's announcement marks the 16th annual grant-making cycle of the UN Trust Fund. The new grantees will spearhead pioneering approaches worldwide aimed at transforming the lives of women and girls:

• In Malawi, Concern Worldwide will promote safe learning environments for girls in primary schools, institutionalizing good practices to end school-related gender-based violence.
• The Women's Department of the Government of Belize will spearhead implementation of a National Action Plan on Gender-Based Violence, promoting a coordinated response.
• In Libya, International Medical Corps will reduce stigma against survivors of gender-based violence, working directly with communities, the police and local militias, and will establish safe spaces for women to serve as hubs for psychosocial support and referrals.
• In Papua New Guinea, Voice for Change will support the development of bylaws in the newly established Jiwaka province to prevent violence against women, involving the community, tribal and youth leaders, courts, and the police to ensure effective implementation.
  • The UN Country Team in Serbia will foster community and school-based interventions to prevent violence against women and girls through social mobilization campaigns and new educational packages.
• In Kenya, Uganda, Cote d'Ivoire, Colombia, Tunisia and Nepal, the International Center for Transitional Justice will work with women's organizations and policy-makers to ensure that gender-based violence is addressed in the design of transitional justice measures, particularly in the areas of truth-seeking and reparations.

Full list of grantees: https://www.unwomen.org/how-we-work/un-trust-fund/grantees/

Administered by the UN Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) on behalf of the UN System, the UN Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively dedicated to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

The work of the UN Trust Fund is supported by Member States, including: Australia, Austria, Bahrain, Finland, Germany, Honduras, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Monaco, Morocco, the Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, South Africa, Switzerland and the United States of America.

The UN Trust Fund is also supported by partners in the private and non-profit sectors, including: Johnson & Johnson, M*A*C AIDS Fund, the United Nations Foundation, United Nations Federal Credit Union, Universal Peace Federation, Zonta International and Zonta International Foundation, and UN Women National Committees in Austria, Finland, Iceland, Japan and the United Kingdom.

More on the work of the UN Trust Fund: https://www.unwomen.org/how-we-work/un-trust-fund/news-and-stories/

More information on UN Women: www.unwomen.org