El Salvador

UN Women (UNW) Leads the Way in Justice & Peace, Advancing SDGs 4, 5, 10 & 16!
UNW is strengthening justice and governance by building effective, accountable institutions and aligning national frameworks with international women’s rights standards.
In 2024, UNW enhanced the General Prosecutor’s Office’s capacity to investigate and prosecute sexual violence. This included thematic roundtables with the Deputy Prosecutor's Offices for Women, Children, and Adolescents (FANMA), engaging 60 specialized prosecutors in monthly sessions on 11 crimes outlined in the Special Comprehensive Law for a Life Free of Violence for Women.
UNW also developed a pioneering protocol to guide investigations of sexual violence cases per international standards. This tool provides clear guidelines on related crimes like trafficking, pornography, corruption, and prostitution and introduces tech-based evidence collection and specialized litigation strategies.
Beyond justice reforms, UNW strengthened institutional capacities across multiple sectors. In 2024, key justice entities—including the Attorney General’s Office (FGR), General Prosecutor’s Office, Ministry of Housing, Institute for Property Legalization, and National Popular Housing Fund—adopted updated policies, sexual violence response protocols, and gender mainstreaming frameworks.
Promoting a survivor-centered approach, UNW trained 100+ FGR prosecutors to investigate and prosecute sexual violence, femicide, and psychological violence. Training included psychological first aid, ensuring trauma-informed survivor support.
Through the Women Guardians of Peace Project, funded by the PBF and co-implemented with UNDP and UNODC, UNW advanced peacebuilding institutionally, communally, and individually. Support to the National Search Commission, the Institute for the Administration of Veterans’ Benefits, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has embedded the Women, Peace, and Security Agenda into policies and programs.
Intergenerational dialogues transformed attitudes, fostering respect and civic engagement. As a result, 36 women emerged as community leaders managing resources, organizing commemorations, and engaging in local associations. These dialogues broke cycles of discrimination and strengthened women’s and youth’s roles in peacebuilding.
These efforts align with SDGs 4, 5, 10, and 16 by promoting inclusive governance, institutional capacity, and women’s leadership while combating discrimination.

The most significant regulatory achievement in the field of Economic Empowerment in 2023 is the approval of the National Policy on Caregiving Responsibility, 2022-2030. This contributes to SDG 5, targets 5.4 and 5c, and directly contributes to Effect 2 of the Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) by recognizing unpaid domestic and care work and promoting shared responsibility in the implementation of care services. The policy aims to progress towards the establishment of a National Care System, addressing structural barriers related to the gendered division of labor. UN Women played a significant role in formulating the policy, joining the responsible team led by the Office of the Presidential Commissioner for Operations and Government Cabinet (DCPOGG) and the Salvadoran Institute for the Development of Women (ISDEMU). The policy will commence its implementation process in 2024. UN Women will participate in the Advisory Committee for policy implementation and will continue providing technical assistance for conducting the diagnosis to determine the supply and demand for care services, formulating the Policy Action Plan, and designing the training curriculum.
UN Women, in the area of Women, Peace, and Security, aligned with SDG 5, target 5.1, and Effect 2 of the Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF), significantly contributed to strengthening the Network of Indigenous Women of El Salvador (RENAMIES) for the promotion and defense of the rights of indigenous peoples[1]. This especially pertains to the prevention of violence against women and girls, through the establishment of the Observatory of the Rights of Indigenous Women. UN Women enhanced the leadership, management, and advocacy capacity of the Network and the National Coordinating Council of Salvadoran Indigenous Peoples (CCNIS) through training processes for female leaders and workshops on masculinities, involving 758 individuals (672 women and youth; 86 men and youth). Additionally, UN Women supported the formulation and publication of RENAMIES' Second Report on Violence Against Indigenous Women, the development of a Protocol for the Care of women facing gender-based violence for CCNIS, and facilitated the process of creating their advocacy agenda. Furthermore, a social media campaign was conducted to raise awareness about the rights of indigenous women.

[1] RENAMIES, Observatorio de los derechos de las Mujeres Indígenas, (2023), Publicaciones – Mujeres indígenas de El Salvador (mujerindigenaelsalvador.org)