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Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most widespread human right violations. It cuts across the boundaries of age, race, culture, wealth and geography. And it happens everywhere: at home and at work, on the streets and in schools, during times of peace and conflict. Up to 70 percent of women and girls will be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in their lifetime.
But this is not inevitable. Violence against women and girls can be systematically addressed, reduced and, with persistence, eliminated.
The UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) was established by UN General Assembly resolution 50/166 in 1996 and is managed by UN Women on behalf of the UN system. The only multilateral grant-making mechanism exclusively devoted to supporting local and national efforts to end violence against women and girls, the UN Trust Fund works with partners across the world to secure much-needed services for women and girls affected by violence. Through its partners, the Fund also invests in long-term solutions for a world free of violence.
The UN Trust Fund awards grants annually through an open and competitive process. The majority of its grantees are non-governmental organizations, with grants awarded also to governments and UN country teams. Since it began operations 1997, the UN Trust Fund has delivered more than USD 78 million to 339 initiatives in 127 countries and territories.
Among other things, UN Trust Fund grantees across the globe work to:
- Prevent violence against women and girls by empowering groups especially at risk of violence, including adolescent girls and indigenous or ethnic minority women, and engaging strategic groups such as youth, men and boys, and traditional and faith-based leaders in prevention efforts;
- Expand the access of women and girls affected by violence to services, including legal assistance, psychosocial counselling, and health care, and building the capacity of service providers to respond effectively to the needs of women and girls affected by violence; and
- Strengthen the implementation of laws, policies and action plans on violence against women and girls through data collection and analysis, building capacities of professionals charged with implementation, and strengthening institutions to become more effective, transparent and accountable in addressing violence against women.
By supporting action where it matters most — at local and community levels — the UN Trust Fund is uniquely placed to contribute to the goals of the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign on the ground.
For instructions on how to apply to the UN Trust Fund, please consult the Application Guidelines. If you have questions, please contact the UN Trust Fund Secretariat.
