Policymakers

The 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence is an annual global campaign running from November 25 (International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) to December 10 (Human Rights Day). Launched in 1991 by the Center for Women's Global Leadership at Rutgers University, it has grown to include 6,000+ organizations in 187 countries. The campaign raises awareness about the crisis affecting 1 in 3 women globally, promotes evidence-based prevention through the RESPECT Women framework (Relationship skills, Empowering women, Services, Poverty reduction, Enabling environments, Child abuse prevention, Transforming norms), and calls for action from governments, tech companies, and individuals. The 2025 theme focuses on digital violence. The campaign is supported by UN Women's UNiTE initiative and features orange as its symbolic color.

IPEC+, formed in 2015 by merging ILO's child labor and forced labor programs, is the flagship initiative targeting SDG 8.7 - eradicate child labor by 2025 and forced labor by 2030. Operating in 88+ countries, the program uses a theory of change with four pillars: (1) public policies and governance - better laws and enforcement, (2) partnerships and advocacy - including Alliance 8.7 global partnership, (3) empowerment and protection - bottom-up approaches for vulnerable families, (4) knowledge and data - surveys, tools, and evaluation. World Day Against Child Labour (June 12, since 2002) is a key advocacy moment. Convention 182 on Worst Forms of Child Labour achieved universal ratification by all 187 ILO members in 2020 - the fastest-ratified agreement in ILO history.

The annual World Day for Safety and Health at Work (April 28) is ILO's primary awareness campaign for workplace safety, coinciding with Workers' Memorial Day. The campaign promotes a "culture of prevention" across governments, employers, and workers through tripartite social dialogue. Each year focuses on emerging risks: 2025 explored AI and digitalization impacts on OSH (opportunities like hazard-detecting robots, risks like work intensification); previous years addressed violence/harassment prevention. The campaign supports ILO Conventions 155 (OSH) and 187 (Promotional Framework for OSH). Key messages: 2.93 million workers die annually from work-related factors; 395 million sustain non-fatal injuries. Safe work is a fundamental principle and right at work since 2022 ILC decision.

The Spotlight Initiative, launched 2017 by the European Union and United Nations with €500 million, is a global program to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls by 2030. Operating across Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Latin America, and Pacific, it addresses sexual/gender-based violence, FGM, child marriage, femicide, trafficking, and domestic violence. Results: 540+ laws/policies signed or strengthened; conviction rate for GBV doubled across 13 countries; 5,000+ grassroots women's organizations reported increased influence; 3 million women/girls accessed GBV services; 8 million young people participated in gender-equitable programs; 6 million men/boys educated on positive masculinity; campaigns reached 384 million people; 50 countries strengthened National Action Plans. 49% of funds ($195M) go to civil society organizations, with 10% earmarked for grassroots women's groups.

Interpeace works with local partners to design and implement inclusive peacebuilding processes. Their approach combines research, dialogue facilitation, and media to help societies build lasting peace. Active in Central America, Africa, Middle East, and Asia with a focus on addressing root causes of conflict through sustained community engagement.

UNDP's flagship research and programming initiative understanding why young Africans join violent extremist groups. The 'Journey to Extremism' study interviewed 718 former voluntary recruits across Africa, revealing that 71% cited a government action (often killing or arrest of family member) as the tipping point for joining. This evidence informs UNDP's prevention work in 40+ countries, addressing 'push factors' (poverty, marginalization, governance failures) and 'pull factors' (belonging, purpose, financial incentives) through development interventions.

UN Office of Counter-Terrorism's flagship youth program in Southeast Asia and East Africa building young people's capacity to participate in P/CVE policymaking. Includes three components: training young religious leaders in interfaith dialogue (Empowering Dialogue and Interfaith Networks - EDIN); equipping young media makers with strategic communication skills for online counternarratives (Young Leaders for Online PCVE); and supporting youth participation in national and regional P/CVE action plans.

One of the world's largest conditional cash transfer programs for girls' education, covering 2+ million girls annually across 460 rural districts since 1994. Girls receive monthly stipends and tuition waivers conditional on 75% attendance, remaining unmarried until 18, and passing exams. Rigorous evaluations show 8% increased enrollment per additional year of program exposure, delayed marriage, and positive spillover effects on younger siblings' education. The model has influenced girls' education policy across South Asia and Africa.

A global partnership with UNICEF, Gates Foundation, and UNESCO launched in 2020 to reduce 'learning poverty' (children unable to read by age 10). The program supports countries to set learning targets, develop costed investment plans, and strengthen implementation capacity. Initial cohort included Brazil (Ceará), Kenya, Morocco, Nigeria (Edo State), Pakistan, Rwanda, and Sierra Leone. Accelerator 2.0 expanded to Central African Republic, Côte d'Ivoire, and Ghana. Features include teacher coaching programs, education technology partnerships, and national learning assessments.

ZeroHungerAI is a World Bank initiative using natural language processing and machine learning to predict food crises up to a year in advance. The system analyzes non-traditional data sources like news articles to identify and track food security risk drivers. By processing vast amounts of textual data, the AI detects early warning signals of impending food crises, enabling governments and humanitarian organizations to take anticipatory action. The system has improved food crisis forecasts by up to 50% compared to traditional methods and is being expanded to provide district-level updates across 75 IDA countries.

The World Bank GovTech program uses AI and machine learning to enhance citizen engagement and improve government service delivery globally. The GovTech Advisory and Guidance Tool (GTAG) uses conversational AI to help development practitioners design digital government projects. The Digital Citizen Engagement Index (DCEI) measures digital participation platforms, feedback mechanisms, and open data portals. In Georgia, the program developed AI for accurate tax audits, while in Vietnam it enhanced data-driven citizen feedback systems. An AI Working Group co-chaired by Estonia and Nigeria brings together 35 governments to develop sound AI policies for inclusive, citizen-centered public sectors.

USAID's Democracy, Human Rights, and Governance (DRG) programs support democratic openings, counter corruption, and promote evidence-based development in countries including Malawi, Tanzania, Zambia, Nepal, Moldova, and Honduras. The program uses social and behavior change approaches to address corruption, focusing on understanding motivations and leveraging interventions that influence norms. Media literacy initiatives help citizens navigate disinformation. Progress is tracked through the V-Dem liberal democracy index and World Justice Program Rule of Law Index. The DRG Policy addresses emerging threats like digital authoritarianism and sophisticated corruption networks.

The World Health Organization Initiative on E-Waste and Child Health supports pilot projects in Latin America and Africa to protect children's health from hazardous exposures in informal e-waste recycling. The initiative raises awareness about health effects of e-waste on children and pregnant women, who are particularly vulnerable to toxic substances like lead, mercury, and cadmium released during informal recycling practices such as open burning and acid leaching. The program works to build capacity for policymakers to enforce legislation, promote safe disposal practices, and develop healthcare protocols for treating e-waste-related health conditions in affected communities.

The Partnership for Action on Challenges relating to E-waste (PACE II) operates under the Basel Convention to promote environmentally sound management of e-waste globally. Building on earlier Mobile Phone Partnership Initiative and PACE programs, PACE II conducts awareness-raising activities through 14 Regional Centres across Africa, Asia, Caribbean, Eastern Europe, and Latin America. Activities include webinars, workshops, publications, and training for customs officials. The 2022 amendments expanded control of transboundary e-waste movements through Prior Informed Consent procedures, empowering developing countries to decide whether to accept e-waste imports. PACE II promotes circular economy approaches for electronics.

BIGRS is a $240 million initiative (2020-2025) implementing evidence-based road safety interventions across 15 countries accounting for 60% of global road deaths, including India, Vietnam, Brazil, Mexico, and Nigeria. The program works at national and city levels (30 cities including Mumbai, New Delhi, Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City) to strengthen road safety laws, train police in enforcement best practices, redesign high-crash corridors, and raise consumer awareness of vehicle safety. Since 2007, BIGRS is estimated to have saved 312,000 lives and prevented 11.5 million injuries, with 75% of impact attributed to stronger legislation.