UN Women

Published purpose

This project represents emergency support of $2 million to the United Nations Women's Trust Fund on Violence Against Women (UNTF). Canada's emergency funding is allocated to the UNTF's COVID-19 Special Funding Window. Project activities include: (1) supporting the core capacity of UNTF's existing grantees (which are primarily women’s rights organizations) to ensure the stability of gender-based violence projects and the long term sustainability of the organizations; and (2) supporting the COVID-19 Response Special Funding Window for a targeted call for proposals to fund projects designed to support women and girls survivors of the gender-based violence related to the COVID-19 pandemic. The COVID-19 pandemic is exacerbating gender-based violence, especially against women and girls. Multiple forms of violence are occurring during the pandemic and the most commonly reported is intimate partner violence. This violence is fueled by financial insecurity within households related to quarantine measures. In many cities and communities around the world, emergency services and institutional responses are overwhelmed by the COVID-19 health crisis. These and other service providers have rapidly lost the capacity to respond to the needs of women and girl survivors of violence. Civil society and women's organizations are playing a critical role at the community level and their sustained operations are vital to a comprehensive and successful pandemic response.