“We will strive for excellence through determined, systematic steps to ensure that our workplace is diverse, inclusive, enabling and gender equal; and by embodying the change we seek in the world, our Office will be fit for purpose, delivering results that mainstream gender and empower women and girls across our programmes and activities."
Ghada Waly, UNOV/UNODC Director-General/Executive Director
Gender equality and women's empowerment are essential components of sustainable development and drive progress across the 2030 Agenda. Gender equality plays an important role in the UNODC mandate areas. For instance, seven out of ten victims of trafficking are women and girls, and one in three people who use drugs is a woman, but only one in five drug users in treatment is a woman.
To ensure gender aspects are not forgotten, UNOV/UNODC has placed gender equality and women’s empowerment as a cross-cutting priority and adopted its first framework to implement global commitments on gender equality and women’s empowerment in 2018. While UNODC’s mandate in promoting access to justice, fighting organized crime, combating corruption, and preventing terrorism are traditionally male-dominated fields, UNODC has made significant strides in promoting gender equality, empowering women, and transforming societies worldwide.
For example, UNODC research has provided a deeper understanding of the impact of corruption on men and women, revealing that both genders experience corruption differently. These findings have influenced national policies on combating corruption, making them more effective and responsive to societal needs. UNOV/UNODC's remarkable progress in driving organizational change was recognized by UN Women with six awards, acknowledging efforts such as a gender-inclusive leadership program, eradication of prohibited conduct, and promoting greater male engagement in gender issues. Additionally, UNODC's dedicated efforts in the field, particularly in Kenya and Mexico, were acknowledged for empowering gender-diverse staff and offering flexible working conditions for parents. UN Women commended UNODC's initiative to empower women leaders in international anti-money laundering and terrorism financing combat. UNODC's commitment to gender mainstreaming is crucial in advancing gender equality and women's empowerment, emphasizing the importance of supporting and expanding these initiatives to create a more just and equal world free from violence, discrimination, and inequality.
With the adoption of the first Gender Strategy, the UNODC Regional Office for Central Asia (ROCA) has been making a conscious effort to mainstream gender in all of its work, including representation of women across the security and justice sectors.
UNODC ROCA also works on enhancing the capacity of national partners with gender sensitive evidence-based policymaking, including in crime statistics systems, conducting victimization surveys and gender-sensitive budgeting. To ensure an effective approach, we consult with women's rights movements, associations of women in law enforcement and independent gender experts and research institutes. We also included them in our programme delivery.
Furthermore, with the COVID-19 pandemic, ROCA has been delivering the much-needed support to governments in the region in strengthening crime prevention and criminal justice responses to gender-based violence against women, as well as providing victim-centered technical assistance through global and field-based programmes. In line with this, our Office is helping to draft national action plans, strengthening referral systems, supporting forensics professionals and specialized clinics, and training prosecutors, police officers and emergency call operators.
