United Nations Trust Fund Grants Awarded to Initiatives in 30 Countries
United Nations, New York 22 November - The United Nations Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women will grant US$1.8 million to 24 groups in developing countries who are working to end gender-based violence in their communities. The announcement was made on the occasion of International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women which falls on November 25th each year. The Trust Fund is a unique multi-lateral mechanism established by the UN General Assembly in 1996 and administered by UNIFEM. Grants are awarded by a committee comprised of representatives of UN agencies and international NGOs. Grants this year went to initiatives that focused on ensuring that national policies and laws to end violence against women were being implemented. Since its establishment, the Trust Fund has granted more than US$10 million to 198 initiatives in 100 countries. Demand continues to outstrip supply. In 2005, UNIFEM received 1,059 proposals amounting to tens of millions of dollars in requests, but only had US$1.8 million to give out. The latter does represent an 80 per cent increase from the previous year, however, with contributions coming from a diverse group of governments, nongovernmental organizations, the private sector, and individuals. Among the governments giving for the first time is the United States. It joins a government roster that includes Finland, Japan, Trinidad and Tobago, Iceland, and Denmark, which supported the Trust Fund in 2004. Click here for full story.