ACT to End Violence against Women
Violence against women and girls is the most pervasive human rights violation worldwide.
Nearly 30 years since the adoption of the Beijing Platform for Action, and despite concerted efforts by UN Member States, levels of violence against women have remained largely unchanged. The world is failing to eliminate violence against women.
Global emergencies, crises, and conflict have intensified the drivers and risk factors of violence against women and girls. Digitalization and technology have exacerbated existing forms of violence and led to the development of new forms.
However, there is more evidence than ever before showing that violence against women and girls is preventable. The presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement is the single most critical factor to drive policy change in ending violence against women.
ACT to End Violence Against Women aims to accelerate efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women through Advocacy, Coalition Building, and Transformative Feminist Action (ACT).
ACT is a new game-changing commitment between the European Commission and UN Women as co-leaders of the Action Coalition on Gender Based Violence (GBV), in collaboration with the UN Trust Fund. Through direct investments in feminist movements, strengthening intersectional alliances, and coordinating a shared advocacy agenda, ACT will amplify women’s rights movements as they coordinate their push for justice.
In the current context of pushback on gender equality and the rise in anti-rights movements, ACT will seek to create greater solidarity within the global movement to end violence against women.
1 in 3 women globally have been subjected to physical or sexual violence at least once in their life
86% of women and girls are living in countries without robust legal protection from violence and discrimination.
Only 5% of official development assistance on GBV, on average, is being allocated to civil society organizations in developing countries.
ACT will initially be rolled out in two regions: Africa and Latin America. It will also work at the global level to elevate women’s rights movements advocacy priorities at international forums and to strengthen cross-regional networking, learning and strategizing.
To read more about ACT, download the programme brochure here.
Calls for proposals
Current calls for proposals within the ACT Programme:
- Advocacy Action and Transformative Feminist Coalition to End Violence against Women in West and Central Africa
- Strengthened coalition building, networking, leadership, and resilience of regional feminist women’s rights movements in East and Southern Africa
Future funding opportunities within the ACT Programme will also be posted on this page.
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Related resources that drive our work
Media resources
Press release: More women and girls killed in 2022 even as overall homicide numbers fall, says new research from UNODC and UN Women
Press release: Women and girls are more at risk to be killed at home, new UNODC and UN Women report on femicide shows