Municipal Interagency Commissions
We are pleased to present the Women Fund “Sukhumi” Rapid Assessment Report: “Municipal Interagency Commissions on Gender Equality, Violence Against Women, and Domestic Violence: Best Practices and Current Challenges”. The document aims to evaluate the relevance of establishing inter-agency commissions to improve collaboration and coordination between state agencies in tackling the issues related to violence against women and domestic violence. It additionally aims to assess the institutional capacities of existing commissions, their accomplishments, and the challenges they encounter.
Based on the research data, it is evident that interagency commissions have a crucial role in coordinating mechanisms for the prevention of violence against women and domestic violence. This is demonstrated by the actions of interagency commissions that have already been formed in several target municipalities. The commissions facilitate more effective local referral procedures, communication, and coordination among stakeholders involved in managing incidents of violence.
However, the analysis of challenges revealed that to establish meaningful changes, it is important to formalize the inter-agency commission further. This requires developing an articulated strategy and leveraging and implementing examples of good practices, both local and international. Additionally, raising awareness among municipality representatives and the general population, ensuring proper delineation of responsibilities with the Gender Equality Council, and encouraging involvement from representatives of diverse agencies in commission activities are essential.
The project is implemented with the support of the organization Brot
für die Welt - Evangelischer Entwicklungsdienst (Germany)