16/33 Joint workplan of the Division for the Advancement of Women, now part of UN Women, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights - Report of the Secretary-General

United Nations A/HRC/16/33–E/CN.6/2011/8

General Assembly Economic and Social Council

Distr.: General 29 November 2010

Original: English

10-65847 (E) 201210 *1065847*

Human Rights Council Sixteenth session 28 February-25 March 2011

Commission on the Status of Women Fifty-fifth session 22 February-4 March 2011 Item 3 (c) of the provisional agenda* Follow-up to the Fourth World Conference on Women and to the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled “Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty-first century”: gender mainstreaming, situations and programmatic matters

Joint workplan of the Division for the Advancement of Women, now part of UN Women, and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Report of the Secretary-General

Summary The present report provides a review of the cooperation between the Division for the Advancement of Women, now part of the newly established United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights. It also indicates a commitment to maintain and strengthen cooperation between the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and UN Women.

* E/CN.6/2011/1.

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I. Introduction

1. The present report is submitted in accordance with resolution 39/5 of 31 March 1995 of the Commission on the Status of Women, resolution 1997/43 of 11 April 1997 of the Commission on Human Rights, and resolution 6/30 of 14 December 2007 of the Human Rights Council. A joint workplan has been prepared annually by the Division for the Advancement of Women of the Secretariat, now part of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). The workplan for 2010 is contained in document A/HRC/13/70-E/CN.6/2010/7.

2. Cooperation between OHCHR and the Division for the Advancement of Women continued in 2010, with the goal of achieving equality between women and men and the promotion and protection of women’s human rights. The major activities that were carried out jointly in 2010 are outlined below (see sect. II), as are plans for the future, taking into account the establishment of UN Women by the General Assembly (see sect. III).

II. Review of the implementation of the joint workplan for 2010

3. During the implementation of the current joint workplan, the exchange of information continued between OHCHR, the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, now part of UN Women, and the Division for the Advancement of Women, now part of UN Women. The Division and OHCHR continued to cooperate within the framework of inter-agency mechanisms, especially the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality, under the leadership of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. The Division and OHCHR participated in the ninth session of the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality from 23 to 25 February 2010 in New York. Both entities participated in several of the task forces of the Network, including its Task Force on Violence against Women, co-convened by the Division and the United Nations Population Fund, and the Task Force on Women and Peace and Security, chaired by the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women. OHCHR also contributed to the inventory of activities of the United Nations system on violence against women, compiled twice yearly by the Division as part of the activities of the Task Force on Violence against Women.

4. Both entities continued to participate in the Inter-Agency Cooperation Group against Trafficking in Persons, chaired by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, as well as in decision-making concerning grants by the United Nations Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women. The Division and OHCHR also continued collaboration within the context of the Executive Committee on Economic and Social Affairs, specifically in the cluster on the advancement of women, which is co-convened by the Division for the Advancement of Women and the Economic Commission for Africa.

5. An OHCHR staff member participated in an expert group meeting on good practices in national action plans on violence against women in Port of Spain, from 13 to 15 September 2010, co-organized by the Division for the Advancement of

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Women and the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC)/subregional headquarters for the Caribbean. The expert group meeting was part of the ongoing work of the Division to develop tools for stakeholders to address violence against women, and based on the outcome of the meeting, the Division will prepare a guide containing a model framework for national action plans on violence against women.

6. The Division for the Advancement of Women and OHCHR continued to support the work of human rights treaty bodies and implementation of the major international human rights instruments, including through exchange of information and dissemination of information about the human rights treaty system. The Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women addressed the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women on 29 July 2010 at its forty-sixth session. The Division provided inputs in connection with the preparation by the Committee of a general recommendation on older women, which was finalized and adopted by the Committee on 19 October 2010. In celebration of the thirtieth anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, OHCHR organized an event focusing on how the Convention has been a force for change in women’s lives globally. The Division for the Advancement of Women participated in this event, during which the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights paid tribute to the Division for its excellent work in promoting and facilitating the implementation of the Convention during the past 30 years.

7. The Division for the Advancement of Women and OHCHR continued to update their databases and websites. The Division continued to enhance its website in relation to violence against women, which includes the work of the Human Rights Council, including its resolutions on the elimination of discrimination against women, the elimination of violence against women, and trafficking in persons, especially women and children; work of the special procedures mandate holders; the universal periodic review; and reports of OHCHR to the Council. In its quarterly newsletters on violence against women, the Division included information on resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council, work of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, and events organized by OHCHR on violence against women, including trafficking in persons.

8. OHCHR and the Division for the Advancement of Women convened a number of meetings, including training seminars and other capacity-building activities, to support implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women and other human rights treaties, including with respect to the preparation of reports and follow-up to concluding observations at the national level. The Division supported the convening of workshops in Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia and the United Republic of Tanzania. It continued its multiphased support to the Government of Liberia to strengthen capacity for the implementation of the Convention and held a round-table discussion on articles 1 and 2 of the Convention in June 2010. The Division continued to support the Government of Côte d’Ivoire in the preparation of its initial to fourth periodic report to the Committee, and it organized a drafter’s workshop in February 2010 and a workshop in May 2010. In October 2010, a workshop was held to support the Government of the United Republic of Tanzania on the implementation of the concluding observations of the Committee. The full involvement and support of OHCHR was sought in connection

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with all of the Division workshops on reporting under and implementation of the Convention.

9. The Division for the Advancement of Women continued its interaction with special procedures mandate holders. In particular, the Division maintained contact with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, in the follow-up to the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on all forms of violence against women (A/61/122 and Add.1 and Corr.1) and General Assembly resolutions 61/143, 62/133, 63/155 and 64/137 on the intensification of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women. In addition, OHCHR and the Division continued to exchange information in relation to the work of the Special Rapporteur.

10. Collaboration in support of intergovernmental bodies continued. In March 2010, the Chairperson of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences addressed the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty- fourth session. In February 2010, OHCHR moderated an online discussion on the theme “Women and human rights” as part of a series of United Nations discussions to contribute to the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women and the 15-year review of the implementation of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.1 OHCHR staff participated in parallel events to the fifty-fourth session of the Commission on the Status of Women, such as an event on discriminatory laws, organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union. In October 2010, the new Executive Director of UN Women, the Vice-Chair of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women and the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences addressed the Third Committee of the General Assembly during the introduction of the agenda item on advancement of women.

11. Coordination of the preparation of reports to be submitted to intergovernmental bodies continued. OHCHR provided inputs to the reports of the Secretary-General on the situation of and assistance to Palestinian women (E/CN.6/2010/4), and on ending female genital mutilation (E/CN.6/2010/6), which were submitted to the Commission on the Status of Women at its fifty-fourth session. The Division provided inputs to the thematic study of OHCHR on discrimination against women, in law and practice, and how the issue is addressed throughout the United Nations human rights system (see A/HRC/15/40), which was submitted to the Human Rights Council at its fifteenth session; and the report on good practices in efforts aimed at preventing violence against women, which is under preparation by OHCHR pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 14/12.

III. Future cooperation, in the light of the establishment of UN Women

12. The General Assembly established the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), in resolution 64/289 of 2 July 2010 on system-wide coherence by consolidating the mandate and functions

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1 Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4-15 September 1995 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution I, annexes I and II.

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of the Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues and Advancement of Women, the Division for the Advancement of Women, the United Nations Development Fund for Women and the International Research and Training Institute for the Advancement of Women, with the additional role of leading, coordinating and promoting the accountability of the United Nations system in its work on gender equality and women’s empowerment. UN Women is to be operational 1 January

2011.

13. UN Women is in the process of developing its future strategy, including its coordination role within the United Nations system. The strategy will align with the founding resolution. It will focus on expanding support to Member States at the national level, in line with national priorities; strengthening coherence between the normative support provided to global intergovernmental processes and the technical and thematic advice provided to national partners at the country level; and strengthening leadership, coordination and accountability on gender equality and women’s empowerment and support to gender mainstreaming across the United Nations system.

14. The realization of women’s human rights will be an essential part of the vision and future strategy of UN Women. Cooperation between UN Women and OHCHR will continue and will be strengthened under a mutually agreed broad strategic framework of cooperation, including in connection with intergovernmental and expert bodies and special procedures, capacity-building activities, awareness-raising on women’s human rights, gender mainstreaming and inter-agency initiatives, such as the Global Migration Group currently chaired by OHCHR, UN Action against Sexual Violence in Conflict, the Inter-Agency Network on Women and Gender Equality and the Inter-Agency Cooperation Group against Trafficking in Persons. Specific areas of focus will include support for implementation of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and follow-up to the Committee’s concluding observations, particularly at the national level; the universal periodic review of the Human Rights Council; the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences; and the newly established Working Group of the Human Rights Council on discrimination against women in law and in practice. Common thematic priority areas include human rights of women; violence against women; trafficking in persons; discriminatory laws, including with respect to economic, social and cultural rights; women, peace and security; and global migration.

15. In the upcoming months, UN Women and OHCHR will elaborate further the framework and details in respect of their cooperation. The results will be reported to the Commission at its fifty-sixth session in the joint workplan for the period 2011-

2012.