Preventing and responding to violence against women with disabilities requires a comprehensive and multi-faceted approach. It includes:

• strengthening legal frameworks,
• enhancing support services,
• ensuring that an inclusive lens is applied to prevention efforts,
• raising societal awareness,
• improving data collection, and
• promoting intersectoral collaboration.

It is also crucial to prioritize the voices, experiences, and agency of women with disabilities in developing and implementing policies and interventions.

This publication provides recommendations for policymakers to address the findings highlighted through the project “Addressing stigma and discrimination experienced by women with disabilities (ASDWD)”, which was developed in partnership with researchers from University College London, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), UN Women offices, local organizations of people with disabilities, and individual women with disabilities who contributed across Pakistan, Palestine, Republic of Moldova, and Samoa, with funding from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNPRPD).

The “Women with disabilities stigma inventory” (WDSI) was developed as part of the project “Addressing stigma and discrimination experienced by women with disabilities” (ASDWD) project, which was jointly led by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and UN Women, with funding from the United Nations Partnership on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UN PRPD).

The ASDWD project focused on the intersection of disability and gender-based stigma and discrimination. A key objective was to create a survey tool to assess the experiences of women and girls with disabilities regarding stigma, discrimination, and gender-based violence. To this end, alongside developing the WDSI using a participatory approach, a methodological note and ethical guidelines were also produced to ensure a human rights–based approach and minimize harm.

This toolkit includes:

• Women with disabilities stigma inventory (WDSI)
• WDSI methodological note
• Ethical standards guide for the ASDWD project

The WDSI is a stand-alone, self-reporting survey tool that can be used to collect data about the experiences of women with disabilities globally in relation to stigma, discrimination, and violence.

The purpose of the methodological note is to provide an overview of the WDSI, its development process, and how to implement the tool and analyse results.

The “Ethical standards guide” was used throughout the ASDWD project to minimize the risk of harm while engaging women with disabilities. The human rights–based approach and the “Do no harm” principle guided the conceptualization and implementation of these guidelines.

La presente publicación representa un esfuerzo conjunto de Organización para la Educación y la Cultura de Naciones Unidas (UNESCO), la Entidad de Naciones Unidas para la Igualdad de Género y el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres (ONU Mujeres) y de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (PAHO) en Panamá bajo un programa nacional financiado por la sexta convocatoria del Fondo Fiduciario de Socios Múltiples (Multi-Partner Trust Fund) del Secretariado de la Alianza de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (UNPRPD por sus siglas en inglés). 

El documento pretende dar una herramienta a las Organizaciones de Personas con Discapacidad (OPDs) en apoyo de su función de incidencia y abogacía para mejorar los resultados del presupuesto nacional relacionados con los compromisos nacionales e internacionales a favor de los derechos de las mujeres y de las personas con discapacidad. Sin una distribución eficaz y eficiente de los recursos destinados a cerrar las brechas de género y desigualdades que afectan a las personas con discapacidad, dichos compromisos no pueden cumplirse.

La presente publicación representa un esfuerzo conjunto de Organización para la Educación y la Cultura de Naciones Unidas (UNESCO), la Entidad de Naciones Unidas para la Igualdad de Género y el Empoderamiento de las Mujeres (ONU Mujeres) y de la Organización Panamericana de la Salud (PAHO) en Panamá bajo un programa nacional financiado por la sexta convocatoria del Fondo Fiduciario de Socios Múltiples (Multi-Partner Trust Fund) del Secretariado de la Alianza de las Naciones Unidas sobre los Derechos de las Personas con Discapacidad (UNPRPD por sus siglas en inglés).

Para avanzar los derechos de las mujeres y de las personas con discapacidad en el país en base a las convenciones internacionales firmadas y ratificadas por Panamá y reflejadas en diversas legislaciones nacionales, y alcanzar la inclusión y la igualdad sustantiva, es necesario que los recursos humanos y financieros estén identificados y disponibles dentro de los sistemas de planificación y presupuestación del estado.

Es por ello que en la presente publicación se ofrecen ejemplos y se describen herramientas que logran introducir una perspectiva de género y de inclusión de los derechos da las personas con discapacidad a la planificación y presupuestación gubernamental. Para ello se ha contado también con la participación de las OPD y la Asamblea Nacional recogiendo sus sugerencias y puntos de vista a través de diversos talleres y reuniones dando a conocer los objetivos del proyecto y, de manera más importante, los derechos de las personas con discapacidad y su reflejo en los presupuestos públicos. 

Women and girls with disabilities continue to face multiple and intersecting forms of discrimination. When it comes to global normative standards for disability inclusion, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) includes provisions and obligations related to gender equality. To date, however, normative standards have not been consistently translated into national, sectoral, and/or local gender-responsive, disability-inclusive policies and corresponding budgets.

Drawing on a selection of country experiences, this policy brief identifies emerging trends and practices on gender- and disability-inclusive budgeting. These include, among others:

• collection, analysis, and use of data and statistics on intersectional discrimination;
• integration of gender and disability inclusion in laws, policies, systems, and institutional practice;
• integration of gender and disability inclusion in the planning and budgeting cycle; and
• enhanced participation of women with disabilities in policy, planning, and budgeting.

The brief aims to address these gaps and promote policy discourse and reforms at global and country level.

One in five women is estimated to be living with a disability, making it crucial to study the increased risks of various forms of violence that they face.  

This synthesis review contains key insights and lessons from the experiences of 22 diverse civil society and women’s rights organizations in various contexts that were supported by the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women (UN Trust Fund) special window to end violence against women and girls with disabilities between 2018 and 2023. In particular, it highlights the lessons learned about fostering collaboration, shifting mindsets, empowering women and girls with disabilities, engaging with legal and policy systems, and allowing for flexible adaptation and learning in addressing violence against women and girls with disabilities.  

These findings mean that the review: 

• contributes to developing programming that is disability specific and disability inclusive; 
• promotes the development of a knowledge base that is grounded in the realities of practitioners in the Global South; and 
• offers practical recommendations to practitioners, researchers, donors and policymakers. 

The new Handbook on Gender Mainstreaming for Gender Equality Results prepared under the leadership of the UN System Coordination Division seeks to promote and propel systematic and effective gender mainstreaming throughout the United Nations system and within all sectors.

In line with our new Strategic Plan, the Handbook contributes to UN Women’s thought leadership and capacity building on gender mainstreaming that will benefit the UN system and Member States.  Notably, the Handbook comes at an opportune time when ECOSOC marks the 25th anniversary of the adoption its Agreed Conclusions on gender mainstreaming this year, and systematic gender mainstreaming is increasingly recognized as critical to accelerating progress on gender equality, including in the context of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and Our Common Agenda where the emphasis is on a new social contract that is inclusive of women and girls.

Specifically, the Handbook identifies the key concepts, principles and approaches underlying the gender mainstreaming strategy. It outlines opportunities to apply gender analyses across different contexts and manage for gender equality results. It also shows how to identify opportunities for organizational change, enhance financing for gender equality, and strengthen monitoring and evaluation for the oversight of the results of gender mainstreaming.

While the Handbook is focused specifically on the more traditional areas of development policy and practice, the discussions, findings, and recommendations are equally applicable in the context of humanitarian responses and programmes in conflict and peace-building contexts.

UN Women conducted a research analysis of UN Joint Programmes (JPs) from an overall perspective and with a focus on gender equality and SDG results. The main source of this analysis comes from data included in the Common Country Programming Profile Joint Programme 2019 and collected through the UNSDG Information Management System (IMS).

In 2021, UN Women supported the UNSDG Fiduciary Management and Oversight Group (FMOG) Working Group in launching the first survey to all MPTFs’ Administrative Agents. This survey received responces from a total of 115 UN inter-agency pooled funds, equivalent to 70% of the estimated 164 active UN inter-agency pooled funds during the period 2020-2021. Of the total of complete responses received, 49 (or 43%) were from MPTFs and 66 (or 57%) were from standalone Joint Programmes (JPs). 

The purpose of this study was to develop a variety of texts documenting case studies of good and promising practices in the area of the protection of rights and access to services for women with disabilities in East and Southern Africa (ESA) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Guidance on how to develop a UN-SWAP 2.0-aligned gender equality and empowerment of women policy at the corporate level

The UN System-wide Dashboard on Gender Parity is a joint initiative by UNDP and UN Women to strengthen system-wide monitoring and data collection on the representation of women and men in the UN system, in support of the Secretary-Generalï's System-wide Strategy on Gender Parity. The dashboard uses the latest available data, with participation from nearly 40 UN entities.

A presentation on system-wide progress against the 17 UN-SWAP performance indicators in 2020. Includes good practices from reporting entities and an overview of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the promotion of GEEW as reported in the 17 indicator areas

The present document analyses the current situation of gender and disability data in Georgia, including existing and potential data sources.

This assessment focuses on the representation of persons with disabilities in the workforce of Ethiopia with sex and age disaggregation. The study used all available data sources including national surveys and censuses undertaken by CSA and some administrative data. The report visualizes the available data, shows gaps and areas for improvement, and undergoing efforts to enhance disability statistics.

A presentation on system-wide progress against the 17 UN-SWAP performance indicators in 2019. Includes key drivers of progress and factors hindering progress

Additional analysis of progress against the 17 UN-SWAP performance indicators in 2020. Includes good practices from reporting entities

The checklist provides minimum requirements for integrating gender equality in the UN framework for immediate socioeconomic and health system support in response to COVID-19.

The report showcases key actions systematically undertaken by 51 UN entities in support of the achievement of gender equality and the empowerment of women and girls, identifies entities’ priority areas for the next five years, and provides recommendations for the way forward.

The study is the first of its kind in Sri Lanka to use a gender budgeting framework to examine government plan, policies and budgets and its impact on women with disabilities. In this study, 400 persons with disabilities covering 4 districts were surveyed on difficulties faced in entering and remaining in the labour force. Evidence shows that they encounter multiple barriers in access to economic opportunities and women with disabilities are twice as disadvantaged