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Region:Asia Pacific Current UN Women Plan Period Afghanisthan:2018-2022
i-icon World Bank Income Classification:Low Income The World Bank classifies economies for analytical purposes into four income groups: low, lower-middle, upper-middle, and high income. For this purpose it uses gross national income (GNI) per capita data in U.S. dollars, converted from local currency using the World Bank Atlas method, which is applied to smooth exchange rate fluctuations. i-icon Least Developed Country:Yes Since 1971, the United Nations has recognized LDCs as a category of States that are deemed highly disadvantaged in their development process, for structural, historical and also geographical reasons. Three criteria are used: per capita income, human assets, and economic vulnerability. i-icon Gender Inequality Index:0.575 GII is a composite metric of gender inequality using three dimensions: reproductive health, empowerment and the labour market. A low GII value indicates low inequality between women and men, and vice-versa. i-icon Gender Development Index:0.723 GDI measures gender inequalities in achievement in three basic dimensions of human development: health, education, and command over economic resources.
i-icon Population:209,497,025 Source of population data: United Nations, Department of Economic and Social Affairs, Population Division (2022). World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision Male:19,976,265 (9.5%) Female:189,520,760 (90.5%)
Map Summary
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Country
Year
OVERVIEWRESULTS & RESOURCESOUR PROGRESSSTRATEGIC PLAN CONTRIBUTIONS
Tonga

outcome XM-DAC-41146-TON_D_3.1

Women and men in target communities demonstrate support to survivors of violence and practice balanced power in their relationships.

The context of implementing a comprehensive, whole-of-population approach to prevent and respond to VAWG in Tonga was significantly different in 2022, due to the unprecedented challenges of the complex emergency of Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption and tsunami, (January 2022), the significant disruption to Tonga’s telecommunication infrastructure and the first cases of COVID-19 community transmission, lockdown and movement restrictions (February 2023). Partners were all supported to re-programme their activities and allocate funding and attention to the immediate needs of the almost nation-wide response to the complex emergency. UN Women contributed by resourcing the delivery of high-quality services and standards with the national women’s machinery and key civil society organisations, especially those in rural and maritime areas, through the Tonga Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC), the Family Protection Legal Aid Centre (FPLAC) and robust primary prevention interventions at community, society and policy levels through WCCC and the Talitha Project. WCCC’s radio public messages showcasing women’s resilience and ability to recover and rebuild after a disaster imparted important information that women are not merely passive beneficiaries, but rather can equally be active participants and leaders in response efforts. The WCCC media series Fefine To’a (Women of Strength) which highlights the resilience and leadership of Tongan women, pivoted following the HTHH emergency to spotlight women’s experiences of the disaster, and women’s important role in rebuilding their communities. Women-led response efforts such as those by women rugby players under the Talitha Project’s Frontrow against Violence (FRAV) provided solutions to people’s real needs immediately after the HTHH disaster. It is an example of how a capacity-building opportunity for one topic (sports as a tool to address GBV) can inspire action in another sector (disaster response), and the value of cross-pollination of ideas and bringing women together to learn new ideas and share with each other. In addition, WCCC’s Ke Tau Malu (Stay Safe) programme addressed the psychosocial needs of children post-disaster. Parents and other adults in communities were also reached in community awareness sessions on topics such as child abuse and neglect in order to transform harmful community attitudes, beliefs and behaviour.
outcome XM-DAC-41146-TON_D_3.2

Women and Girls, especially from particular groups (with disabilities, rural, sexual and gender minorities) from target countries, who experience violence have access to quality essential services (health, social service, police and justice) to recover from violence

Women and girls in Tonga, particularly survivors of violence have better chances at now accessing essential services (health, social services, police and justice) and recovery from violence after a two-pronged approach undertaken by UN Women that has seen national service providers, both government and CSOs increase their active engagement in the national coordination infrastructure of GBV services, and frontline service providers enhance their capacity to provide quality services to GBV survivors, both in emergency and non-emergency times. Cohesion amongst services has improved, with partners showing greater understanding of the Family Protection Act, the Tonga National Services Delivery Protocol for Responding to Cases of GBV (SDP) and referral pathways, and the operations of the Tonga National Safety and Protection Cluster in relation to GBV in Emergencies (GBViE). In addition, relationships have been built/improved and there has been an improved understanding of roles and responsibilities amongst the network of organisations that makes up the GBV response in country. The roll-out plan for SDP implementation, co-developed and finalised in 2022 by UN Women and partners in Tonga, includes adaptations for emergency response, COVID-19 and longer-term recovery and rebuilding. In addition, capacity building of frontline service providers has enhanced the coordination and systematic delivery of a range of multisectoral services to better serve survivors of violence in emergency and non-emergency times. UN Women’s focus in 2022 was to provide the technical and financial support necessary to sustain its partners on the ground in Tonga during and after the complex emergency period in the aftermath of the Hunga Tonga–Hunga Ha’apai (HTHH) volcanic eruption (January 2022) and the onset of COVID-19 and subsequent lockdowns (February 2023). The Tonga Women and Children Crisis Centre (WCCC) remained operational during this time. It reported, that while it can serve between 20 to 30 cases per month, during the double emergencies this rose to an additional 55 cases monthly. WCCC continued its approach to reach those most left behind by opening a centre on the outer island Vava’u – making the centre the third on an outer island. The WCCC Vava’u Centre works closely with the Ministry of Justice which opened its Family Protection Legal Aid Centre also in Vava’u in 2022. The expansion of both organisations to the outer island has been possible through UN Women’s financial support. The services on Vava’u are expected to also expand to Niua Fo’ou and Niua Toputapu, the two remotest islands in Tonga, and is expected to significantly expand access to justice for women and girls in Tonga’s rural and remote islands.
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The boundaries and names shown and the designations used on this map do not imply official endorsement or acceptance by the United Nations.
References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of United Nations Security Council resolution 1244 (1999).
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