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GROUPS RECEIVE GRANTS TO END VIOLENCE AGAINST
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United Nations, New York – The United Nations Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women will grant US$900,000 to 17 groups in developing countries, who are addressing gender-based violence in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Through Trust Fund grants:
- Community leaders in the Democratic Republic of Congo will be trained to address the communal impact of violence against women;
- Country-based capacity to document the impact of armed conflict on women in Southern Sudan will be enhanced and used to influence post-conflict reconstruction, and ensure better access for women to services and training to participate in peace processes;
- Medical practitioners and health care workers in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem will develop a Code of Ethics for assistance to survivors of violence;
- Government officials in Georgia and Azerbaijan will receive training to promote the use of violence prevention and prosecution mechanisms at institutional and policy levels;
- Research and investigation into the scale of gender-based violence in Honduras, Guatemala, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Costa Rica will be used to influence reform of legislation and public policies, and encourage greater collective action to end impunity.
"Gender-based violence during conflict is part of a continuum of violence that affects women and girls from times of peace to times of war. It only deepens with war," said Noeleen Heyzer, Executive Director of the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM). Trust Fund support will enable catalytic approaches to the challenges women face in conflict situations, and provide opportunities to influence peace building and reconstruction processes.
The Trust Fund is a unique multilateral mechanism established by the UN General Assembly in 1996 and administered by UNIFEM. Grants are decided collectively by representatives of UN agencies and international NGOs.
Since its establishment, the Trust Fund has granted US$8.3 million to 175 initiatives in 96 countries. Demand continues to outstrip supply. UNIFEM has received up to US$17.5 million in requests, with only about US$1 million to give out each year. "For every project funded, there are at least ten turned away. Over the last 8 years, we have learned from the innovative efforts of nongovernmental and governmental organizations worldwide, efforts that have made real progress on the issue. They must continue to be supported if there is to be an end in sight to violence against women. Our biggest obstacle is not a lack of ideas. It is a lack of resources," said Heyzer.
Donors to the 2004 grant-making cycle include Japan, Denmark, Finland, Trinidad and Tobago, as well as NGOs and private individuals.
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For more information on the Trust Fund, see To read UNIFEM's publication With an End in Sight: Strategies From the UNIFEM Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence Against Women , see http://www.unifem.org/index.php?f_page_pid=71 To read UNIFEM's publication Not A Minute More: Ending Violence Against Women , see UNIFEM is the women's fund at the United Nations, providing financial support and technical assistance to innovative programs promoting women's human rights, their economic and political empowerment, and gender equality in over 100 countries. For more information, visit www.unifem.org . UNIFEM, 304 East 45th St, 15th Floor, New York, NY 10017, tel: 212 906-6400, fax: 212-906-6705. |
Document Sources: United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)
Subject: Palestine question, Women
Publication Date: 15/11/2004