OHCHR involvement

Geneva initiative

This year, the city of Geneva is participating in the annual campaign ‘ 16 days of activism against gender violence '. OHCHR along with other organisations such as the United Nations Integrated Regional Information Networks (IRIN), OCHA, UNHCR, Médecins sans Frontier (MSF), the Geneva Centre for the Democratic Control of Armed Forces (DCAF), and UNFPA, shall be organising joint activities calling for the elimination of all forms of violence against women during the campaign.

Throughout the 16 days, IRIN will exhibit photos on GBV in the Maison des Arts de Grütli; Médecins sans Frontières will hold a conference on GBV and will also host a photo exhibition on GBV in the DRC; UNHCR, UNFPA and OHCHR plan to hold lunchtime film-reviews and discussion sessions on rape as a weapon of war in the

DRC and on female genital mutilation. UNHCR will also be hosting various activities during that period.

The Campaign will be launched on the evening of 24 November 2005 at the ICRC museum conference hall. The ceremony will include a book launch of a number of publications by IRIN (Gender-based Violence photo-essay), DCAF ( Women in an Insecure World) and UNFPA (Guidelines for Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Humanitarian Emergencies) followed by a panel discussion led by three experts on gender-based violence. Participating organisations, including OHCHR will have stands displaying information about their programmes and activities. This will be followed by a reception.

OHCHR is also producing a poster on the campaign that will be distributed to OHCHR field presences and will be made available throughout the campaign.

On 6 and 8 December 2005 , OHCHR is inviting UN agencies and NGOs to two IRIN-produced documentaries on rape as a weapon of war in the DRC and on female genital mutilation. The documentaries will be screened at Palais Wilson and will be followed by discussions chaired by experts from the other participating organisations. Similarly, OHCHR will volunteer its in-house expertise to assist in film-discussions organised at the other participating organizations.