UNDP Seoul Policy Centre (USPC) and the Women’s Human Rights Institute of Korea (WHRIK)  signed a Statement of Intent on 12 November 2024, reflecting shared commitment to leverage the policies, practices, and pragmatic tools from the Republic of Korea to address the pressing need to combat gender-based violence globally. WHRIK, a public institution under Korea’s Ministry of Gender Equality and Family, was established in 2009 to prevent violence against women and girls and protect victims and survivors of gender-based violence. This Statement of Intent marks a significant milestone in advancing global cooperation to tackle gender-based violence, particularly in response to the growing challenges of technology-facilitated gender-based violence worldwide. USPC and WHRIK anticipate building on this momentum through joint efforts on protecting gender-based violence victims and survivors, capacity building for support service providers, and public awareness campaigns on violence against women, girls and other marginalized communities.

In her congratulatory remarks, Anne Juepner, Director of USPC, applauded the ROK’s systematic support for survivors of technology-facilitated gender-based violence through the Advocacy Center for Online Sexual Abuse Victims (ACOSAV) under WHRIK, referencing this year’s joint 16 Days of Activism campaign.

“We are pleased to take the first step toward close cooperation and hope to further solidify our joint responses to gender-based violence by sharing our experiences in supporting victims through our partnership,” Stated Bora Shin, President of WHRIK. She further underscored the significance of international cooperation to combat violence against women, highlighting WHRIK’s efforts to advance the Sustainable Development Goals and create a society where survivors can regain dignity and safety.