Independent corporate evaluation of UN Women’s approach to violence against women prevention and response: Navigating changes in global and regional contexts

Gender-based violence remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations, undermining women’s rights, safety, and progress toward equality. Crises such as the COVID-19 pandemic, climate change, food insecurity, and armed conflict have only deepened the risks women and girls face.

Eliminating violence against women and girls (VAWG) is a core priority for UN Women. The entity plays a vital role in raising global awareness and working with governments, women’s organizations, civil society, and communities to prevent and respond to VAWG. UN Women supports Member States in reforming laws and policies, promotes gender-equitable social norms through awareness campaigns and male engagement, and strengthens institutions to better support survivors. UN Women works to ensure that violence prevention is included across humanitarian, development, and peace efforts.

In 2024, UN Women’s Independent Evaluation Service conducted a corporate evaluation of UN Women’s approach to VAWG prevention and response. The evaluation assessed the relevance, adaptability, and effectiveness of UN Women’s work amid intersecting global crises, as well as the sustainability of its efforts and alignment with key partners. The findings highlight UN Women’s responsiveness to evolving challenges, especially during COVID-19, and its contributions to survivor-centred services and legal reforms.

Recommendations include:

• strengthening guidance for emerging issues like technology-facilitated gender-based violence,
• enhancing efforts to shift harmful social norms,
• expanding support to women’s rights organizations, and
• securing longer-term programming at the country level.

The evaluation emphasized the need to scale successful initiatives while ensuring no one is left behind.