UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women

Author(s): Scott Douglas Jacobsen

Publication (Outlet/Website): The Good Men Project

Publication Date (yyyy/mm/dd): 2025/02/07

Abigail “Abby” Erikson is a licensed clinical social worker with over 20 years of experience dedicated to advancing the rights of women and girls. A passionate advocate for ending violence against women, Abby brings extensive expertise in sexual and reproductive health, gender equality, and addressing gender-based violence in both development and humanitarian contexts. As UN Women’s lead technical expert on ending violence against women and girls, based in Fiji, she provided strategic policy and programmatic leadership. Prior to this, she held roles at the International Rescue Committee and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. In January 2023, Abby assumed the role of Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (UN Trust Fund). Under her leadership, the UN Trust Fund continues to empower women’s rights organizations through advocacy, knowledge-sharing platforms like SHINE, and long-term, flexible funding. The conversation explores the global funding gap, the expertise of women’s rights organizations, and emerging challenges such as technology-facilitated violence. Erikson emphasized the UN Trust Fund’s commitment to amplifying local women’s voices and fostering impactful partnerships to address violence against women and girls.

Scott Douglas Jacobsen: Today, we are here with Ms. Abby Erikson, Chief of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women (UN Trust Fund). We will discuss the UN Trust Fund, including the recent announcement of substantial grants—amounting to $16 million—awarded to 36 women’s rights and civil society organizations for initiatives aiming to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls across 41 countries and territories. How can organizations support the advocacy efforts and initiatives of the UN Trust Fund?

Abby Erikson: First, I would like to provide a brief overview of the UN Trust Fund and its vital work to end violence against women and girls. The UN Trust Fund was established in 1996 as an outcome of the landmark 1995 Beijing Platform for Action, which outlined a comprehensive strategy to achieve gender equality and advance women’s rights. Its creation, through a resolution adopted by Member States at the UN General Assembly, recognized that violence against women and girls is one of the most significant barriers to gender equality and women’s empowerment. Today, the UN Trust Fund is administered by UN Women, the United Nations agency dedicated to promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment.

For nearly three decades, the UN Trust Fund has served as a critical funding mechanism, providing grants to women’s rights and civil society organizations working to prevent and address violence against women and girls. To date, it has supported over 700 organizations across the globe. Most recently, in response to its latest Call for Proposals, which closed in February 2024, the Trust Fund announced nearly $16 million in grants, reaffirming its unwavering commitment to addressing this urgent global challenge.

Regarding the question of how organizations and individuals can support the advocacy and initiatives of the UN Trust Fund, we hope to inspire global recognition of the need to act against violence and to encourage collective engagement in our mission. While more than 95% of the Trust Fund’s resources come from contributions by UN Member States, we also welcome donations from individuals and the private sector. Contributions made through our online donation platformdirectly support grassroots organizations that are leading change in their communities.

Furthermore, the UN Trust Fund collaborates with a diverse range of partners across the UN system, Member States, civil society, and the private sector to amplify shared goals. These goals include advancing gender equality, empowering women, and eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls.

Unfortunately, violence against women and girls remains one of the most pervasive human rights violations globally. It is disheartening to recognize that, nearly 30 years after the Trust Fund’s establishment, the need for its work is as urgent as ever. It remains the only global grant-making mechanism dedicated exclusively to ending all forms of violence against women and girls.

Recent global data reveals that approximately 140 women and girls are killed every day by someone within their own home. To spotlight this alarming reality, the Trust Fund’s 2024 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence campaign focused on raising awareness and mobilizing action to address this crisis.

At the same time, we are confronting a growing number of interconnected crises, including armed conflicts, climate emergencies, and political instability. These challenges have not only exacerbated violence but also contributed to setbacks in advancing women’s rights and broader human rights agendas. Emerging forms of violence, such as technology-facilitated gender-based violence, have added another layer of complexity. This type of violence disproportionately targets women in leadership roles and public life, posing new and evolving threats. While technology and artificial intelligence have enormous potential to create positive change, they have also introduced significant challenges that require urgent attention.

The persistent pushback against women’s rights to live free from violence is deeply concerning. It underscores the critical importance of redoubling our efforts to ensure safe, equal, and peaceful communities—foundations upon which every individual deserves to thrive.

Jacobsen: How did the UN Trust Fund select the 36 women’s rights and civil society organizations when awarding grants during its latest funding cycle?

Abby Erikson: At its core, the UN Trust Fund supports civil society organizations—particularly women-led and women’s rights organizations—to implement multi-year initiatives aimed at addressing violence against women and girls. These initiatives often encompass a range of critical activities, including providing safe houses, social support, healthcare services, and advocating for legal and policy reforms to drive prevention and systemic change.

The UN Trust Fund’s Call for Proposals process is both rigorous and highly competitive, underscoring the immense global demand for resources to tackle violence against women and girls. Since becoming Chief of the UN Trust Fund in 2022, I have witnessed firsthand the scale of this demand. In my first year, we received proposals totaling over $750 million, but we had only $11 million available to disburse. The following year, the funding requests doubled to $1.5 billion, yet we were able to award just $16 million in grants.

To put this in perspective, we receive thousands of applications from organizations in countries eligible for Official Development Assistance (ODA). Unfortunately, the gap between the need and the available resources of the UN Trust Fund remains stark, with fewer than 1% of applicants ultimately receiving grants.

The selection process itself is thorough, impartial, and designed to ensure accountability and fairness. Neither I, as Chief, nor the UN Trust Fund Secretariat is directly involved in choosing grant recipients. Instead, the process is overseen by regional committees composed of UN representatives, civil society members, and other stakeholders. Proposals that successfully pass the initial scoring phases are further evaluated at the regional level, with final selections made by a global committee.

Our selection criteria emphasize initiatives that adopt an intersectional approach. This means prioritizing organizations working with women and girls who experience overlapping forms of discrimination and marginalization, such as those living with disabilities, belonging to minority ethnic or lower-income groups, or facing other systemic barriers. By doing so, we strive to ensure that no one is left behind in our efforts to resource and empower communities.

These priorities reflect the extraordinary potential of women’s rights organizations operating on the front lines. These organizations have deep insights into the specific needs of their communities and are uniquely positioned to drive impactful change. It is inspiring to envision the transformative outcomes we could achieve if we had the resources to fund all these remarkable initiatives. Until then, we must remain focused and strategic, making the most of the limited resources available to us.

Jacobsen: What specific challenges affect women and girls in crisis? The definition of “crisis” differs from country to country.

Abby Erikson: You’re absolutely right about the varied definitions of crisis. While we often think of large-scale crises such as war, conflict, major climate emergencies, natural disasters, or global pandemics, there are also localized or “micro-crises.” These can include issues such as failing health systems or other contained yet deeply significant challenges for the affected populations.

What is clear across all contexts is that crises amplify vulnerabilities, particularly for women and girls. Evidence consistently shows heightened risks of violence against women and girls during wars and conflicts, including conflict-related sexual violence and intimate partner violence.

In these situations, women’s rights organizations and local civil society groups play a critical role. They are often the first responders, adapting rapidly to meet emerging needs. During the COVID-19 pandemic, for example, the vital expertise of these organizations became especially evident. They were on the front lines, addressing multiple, compounding crises within their communities, often stepping in to fill gaps left by the international aid system.

We must rely on local women’s rights organizations and civil society groups to effectively support communities and, crucially, adequately resource them. 

In many countries where we support civil society organizations, there is an enabling environment, which might include laws and policies that support gender equality, address racial bias, supports women’s groups, and outline responsibilities for tackling these issues across government departments—such as health, education, and women’s ministries—alongside civil society.

However, it is important to note that we operate in a wide range of contexts. Some areas face chronic crises or vulnerabilities, while others have relatively strong enabling environments but continue to grapple with significant challenges. This diversity creates opportunities for hybrid partnerships between governments, the UN, civil society, and other stakeholders, enabling us to collaborate effectively in addressing these issues.

Jacobsen: How does the UN Trust Fund address the funding gap for women’s rights organizations in a challenging global context?

Abby Erikson: Women’s rights organizations play a critical role in addressing violence against women and girls, as well as advancing gender equality and social justice. Yet, these organizations face persistent funding challenges. The UN Trust Fund operates under significant financial constraints, particularly as the demand from women’s rights and civil society organizations far exceeds the resources available.

To address this gap, we focus on maximizing the impact of our funding by prioritizing high-need, high-impact initiatives. In parallel, we work tirelessly to mobilize additional resources from Member States, private sector partners, and individual donors. Advocacy is also a core part of our strategy, as we strive to raise global awareness about the transformative work of women’s rights organizations and the necessity of long-term, flexible funding for their success.

Bridging the funding gap requires collective action. Through partnerships and resource mobilization, we aim to ensure that these organizations can continue their critical work. Every dollar directed toward women’s rights and civil society organizations contributes to building safer and more equitable communities, even in the face of overwhelming global challenges.

It’s important to note that the UN Trust Fund can only fund a small percentage of the demand we receive. However, this funding gap extends far beyond our work—it is a systemic issue across the feminist funding ecosystem, encompassing women’s funds, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and broader social justice initiatives.

To address this, the UN Trust Fund focuses on advocacy and evidence-based approaches. We highlight the critical importance of providing long-term, flexible funding to empower women’s rights organizations to respond effectively to unmet needs. For example, we have extended the duration of our grants from two years to four years. This shift helps grantee partners build stability and strengthen their organizational resilience. By funding initiatives such as strategic planning and resource mobilization strategies, we aim to break the cycle of short-term funding and equip organizations for sustainable impact.

This is a pivotal moment. In 2025, we mark the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Platform for Action, which remains a foundational framework for gender equality and women’s empowerment. It is an urgent time for the global community to come together, leveraging all platforms and advocacy opportunities to spotlight the evidence, best practices, and lessons learned from women’s rights and civil society organizations. 

This year, the UN Trust Fund is doing everything possible to amplify the voices of our grantee partners, showcase their evidence-based successes, and advocate for increased funding to meet the scale of today’s challenges. Across sectors such as health, education, and infrastructure, instability, disasters, conflicts, and pandemics have eroded much of the progress achieved in gender equality. We are collectively in a phase of resetting and rebuilding.

As we move forward, this year will be a test of the global community’s ability to unite and act decisively to address these disparities, ensure progress is not reversed, and reaffirm our commitment to leaving no woman or girl behind.

Jacobsen: What can media platforms, influencers, or individuals contribute to amplifying this advocacy and funding opportunity to end violence against women and girls? How does the UN Trust Fund ensure that knowledge is collected from grassroots initiatives to inform global policy and programming?

Abby Erikson: The first and perhaps most crucial step is to follow and support the incredible work of the UN Trust Fund and its grantee partners, who are striving to end violence against women and girls in their countries, regions, and even on a global scale. Educating ourselves and fostering a shared understanding of why these issues persist—and how they can be effectively addressed—is vital. Media platforms and influencers also have a key role to play in spreading positive messages and creating a culture where violence against women and girls is not tolerated.

The UN Trust Fund works closely with its grantee partners to document the challenges they encounter and understand the contexts they operate in. Through this collaboration, we identify and amplify effective strategies, drawing on their practice-based expertise and on-the-ground knowledge. This work has resulted in the co-production of numerous knowledge products with our grantee partners from across the globe.

We also support our grantee partners’ capacity to share their insights with the world. The UN Trust Fund supports their participation in international forums and gatherings. These exchanges are vital for fostering collaboration and disseminating solutions.

The UN Trust Fund also facilitates knowledge exchange among grantee partners through initiatives such as SHINE—an online platform that enables communication in approximately 50 languages. SHINE is a hub for collaboration, allowing grantee partners, practitioners, policymakers, researchers, and experts to share best practices on ending violence against women and girls and collaborate with one another.

As a multilateral fund within the UN system, the UN Trust Fund bridges the gap between Member States, private sector donors, and committed individuals, connecting them with local women’s rights organizations worldwide. This partnership strengthens efforts to end violence against women and girls.

One of our critical roles is mandated reporting through platforms such as the Commission on the Status of Women and the Human Rights Council in New York. These reports highlight the achievements of our grantee partners and showcase how the UN Trust Fund brings together multi-sector partners to prevent and end violence against women and girls. Accompanying these reports, we often organize events and initiatives to ensure that the work of our grantee partners is recognized and shared effectively on a global scale.

Working on issues like intimate partner violence, sexual assault, rape, and other forms of violence is profoundly challenging. Yet, I am continually inspired by the expertise, tenacity, and perseverance of the women, men, girls, and boys who dedicate themselves to improving their families, communities, and societies, creating an environment of equality for all.

I am deeply honored to be in my role, to work alongside my incredible team, and to witness this inspiring work every day. The best investment we can make is in women’s rights organizations. Wherever we direct funding, we know women are on the front lines, making an extraordinary difference.

Jacobsen: Thank you. I appreciate it.

Abby Erikson: Thank you.

Last updated May 3, 2025. These terms govern all In Sight Publishing content—past, present, and future—and supersede any prior notices. In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen is licensed under a Creative Commons BY‑NC‑ND 4.0; © In Sight Publishing by Scott Douglas Jacobsen 2012–Present. All trademarks, performances, databases & branding are owned by their rights holders; no use without permission. Unauthorized copying, modification, framing or public communication is prohibited. External links are not endorsed. Cookies & tracking require consent, and data processing complies with PIPEDA & GDPR; no data from children < 13 (COPPA). Content meets WCAG 2.1 AA under the Accessible Canada Act & is preserved in open archival formats with backups. Excerpts & links require full credit & hyperlink; limited quoting under fair-dealing & fair-use. All content is informational; no liability for errors or omissions: Feedback welcome, and verified errors corrected promptly. For permissions or DMCA notices, email: scott.jacobsen2025@gmail.com. Site use is governed by BC laws; content is “as‑is,” liability limited, users indemnify us; moral, performers’ & database sui generis rights reserved.