The Approach
Gender-based violence is preventable.
Gender-based violence programming (i.e. prevention and response) and risk mitigation across all humanitarian efforts is lifesaving and a priority for the Global Protection Cluster. Through the Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR), we work together with partners, governments, and communities to address GBV and to implement quality programming to prevent, mitigate and respond.
Across all Protection Clusters, we prioritize two mutually reinforcing objectives to address GBV:
- Reducing the risk of GBV
- Ensuring all survivors of GBV have adequate and timely access to quality services that meet their needs
We are committed to continuously strengthening coordination and programming to protect women and girls from GBV. We advocate for adequate resources to increase the implementation of quality specialized programmes for women and girls.
We also work with male survivors of sexual violence and survivors with diverse sexual orientations and gender identities (SOGI) through specialized programming to respond to their specific needs.
The Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility
The Gender-Based Violence Area of Responsibility (GBV AoR) is the global-level forum for coordination and collaboration on GBV prevention and response and advancing risk mitigation in humanitarian settings under the Cluster System. The GBV AoR constitutes a focus area within the Global Protection Cluster. The GBV AoR works to strengthen system-wide preparedness and technical capacity to respond to humanitarian crises, bringing together non-governmental organizations, United Nations agencies, academics and others under the shared objective of ensuring life-saving, predictable, accountable and effective action on GBV. UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, co-coordinated the GBV AoR with UNICEF, the United Nations Children’s Fund, until 2017, when UNFPA took on the role as sole lead agency and provider of last-resort.
The GBV AoR applies the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) definition of gender-based violence: “Gender-based violence is an umbrella term for any harmful act that is perpetrated against a person’s will, and that is based on socially ascribed (gender) differences between males and females.” It includes threats of such violence and acts both in the public and private spaces. The GBV AoR Strategy 2021-2025, outlines the vision, mission and strategic objectives for the GBV AoR and details the work needed to achieve these goals over the next five years.
You can visit the GBV AoR website here
