United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM): Working for Women's Empowerment and Gender Equality

UN Trust Fund to End VAW

The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) was established by General Assembly resolution 50/166 in 1996 and is managed by the United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) on behalf of the UN system. The UN Trust Fund is the only multilateral grant-making mechanism that supports local, national and regional efforts to end violence against women and girls.

Since it began operations in 1997, the UN Trust Fund has distributed more than US$40 million to 286 initiatives in 115 countries. With grants currently ranging from US$300,000 to US$1 million, UN Trust Fund projects focus on supporting the implementation of national laws, policies and action plans that address violence against women. Grants support:

  • awareness raising;
  • advocacy for adequate budgetary allocation;
  • multi-sector partnerships;
  • development of sustainable capacities of judiciaries, law enforcement and health service providers;
  • access of survivors to services;
  • and creation and strengthening of data collection systems.

Grantees, comprising government and non-governmental organizations, have engaged diverse actors, such as women’s, men’s and youth groups and networks; indigenous communities; religious and traditional leaders; human rights organizations; academic and research organizations; and the media.

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