UNWOM
United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women
Our Activities
4 Total Activities
Integrating marriage registration into the existing DPG OpenCRVS
This Activity will support collaboration with OpenCRVS to build the Marriage registration component of its registered DPG: OpenCRVS. When OpenCRVS was registered in 2022, only the birth and death registration features were developed. Countries using OpenCRVS have requested that the marriage registration function be integrated so as to link to birth registrations and act as one strategy to end child marriage, thereby supporting SDG 5. A civil registry is a critical piece of digital public infrastructure. National civil registration and vital statistics systems register vital events including birth and death and, where relevant, marriage, divorce, adoption. Links between unregistered marriages and birth registration of children are well understood with every unregistered marriage leading to a range of legal and administrative problems for the marriage partners and children from the marriage.
Activity Type:
Connected members:
UN Women will convene a number of meetings to: (i) raise awareness and interest in the proactive design, build and adaptation of DPGs to advance SDG5 on gender equality and to secure the financial resources to support their development (ii) seek the participation of selected DPGA members as a reference group for this work over 2025-2029 (iii) consider the gendered dimensions of ending violence against women and girls and how the process of designing and using DPGs for gender justice should actively advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls. Partners for this activity include: • R&D team at OpenCRVS, the not-for-profit home of the system, focused on unlocking the transformational potential of CRVS systems for women and girls. • Relevant ministries in at least two pilot countries such as: Civil Registry, Ministries of technology and innovation; women’s empowerment and child protection; home affairs, national planning and develop, social affairs • CSOs working with girls and/or women in at least two pilot countries UN Women will mobilise and advocate for DPGs through the Commission on the Status of Women, other high-level UN meetings, as well as the membership and leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions, particularly: Action Coalition 1: Ending Violence Against Women, Action Coalition 2 Economic Justice and Action Coalition 5: Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. DPG members who are leaders in the Generation Equality Action Coalitions are: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ITU Rockefeller Foundation UNICEF Action Coalition 1 (Ending Violence Against Women) Member Countries: Iceland, Kenya, UK, Uruguay Action Coalition 2 (Economic Justice) Member Countries: Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden Action Coalition 5 (Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality) Member Countries: Armenia, Chile, Finland, Rwanda, Tunisia Action Coalition 3 (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights) Member Countries: Argentine, Burkino Faso, Denmark, France, North Macedonia Action Coalition 4 (Climate Justice) Member Countries: Costa Rica and Maldives Action Coalition 6 (Feminist Movements) Member Countries: Canada, Malawi, The Netherlands
Connected DPGs:
DPG4GJ: Map age verification safeguard process to prevent child marriage
SDG 5 has a target to end child marriage by 2030 as a way of promoting gender equality and ensuring the attainment of other SDGs focussing on the health, educational and social opportunities available to girls and women. This Activity collaborates with partners in at least two countries to: • map and integrate an age verification safeguard process aimed at the prevention of child marriage that can work with any national digital CRVS system. It is envisaged that the age verification safeguard would be used by people who officiate marriages through being able to check birth registration data to verify whether both prospective parties to the marriage are over 18 years old. • explore integration between a national civil registry and social protection programmes aimed at supporting girls at risk of child marriage to delay their marriage and continue education. This activity aims to prevent a double disadvantage of a child marriage that can not be registered
Activity Type:
Connected members:
During 2025-2030, UN Women is collaborating with a range of partners to demonstrate how the benefits of Digital Public Goods (DPG) that have been developed in the last decade to advance health, education and other Sustainable Development Goals, can also contribute to the attainment of SDG5 on gender equality. In particular, UN Women is building partnerships to adapt and pilot in selected countries DPGs that support gender justice through both preventative and responsive services to end violence against women and girls. UN Women will convene a number of meetings to: (iv) raise awareness and interest in the proactive design, build and adaptation of DPGs to advance DPG5 on gender equality and to secure the financial resources to support their development (v) seek the participation of selected DPGA members as a reference group for this work over 2025-2029 (vi) consider the gendered dimensions of ending violence against women and girls and how the process of designing and using DPGs for gender justice should actively advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls and minimise potential harm. Partners for this activity include: • R&D team at OpenCRVS, the not-for-profit home of the system, focused on unlocking the transformational potential of CRVS systems for women and girls. • Relevant ministries in at least two pilot countries such as: Civil Registry, Ministries of technology and innovation; women’s empowerment and child protection; home affairs, national planning and develop, social affairs • CSOs working with girls and/or women in at least two pilot countries • Social protection programmes that have a demonstrated record of delaying child marriage through targeted cash transfer programmes and other support to girls at risk of child marriage; e.g. Kanyashree and Haqdarshak UN Women will mobilise and advocate for DPGs through the Commission on the Status of Women, other high-level UN meetings, as well as the membership and leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions, particularly: Action Coalition 1: Ending Violence Against Women, Action Coalition 2 Economic Justice and Action Coalition 5: Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. DPG members who are leaders in the Generation Equality Action Coalitions are: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ITU Rockefeller Foundation UNICEF Action Coalition 1 (Ending Violence Against Women) Member Countries: Iceland, Kenya, UK, Uruguay Action Coalition 2 (Economic Justice) Member Countries: Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden Action Coalition 5 (Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality) Member Countries: Armenia, Chile, Finland, Rwanda, Tunisia Action Coalition 3 (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights) Member Countries: Argentine, Burkino Faso, Denmark, France, North Macedonia Action Coalition 4 (Climate Justice) Member Countries: Costa Rica and Maldives Action Coalition 6 (Feminist Movements) Member Countries: Canada, Malawi, The Netherlands
Connected DPGs:
• The registered DPG OpenCRVS will be involved in the activity. However, the age verification process will also be tested with a second digitised CRVS system. • Possible collaboration with OpenSPP or OpenG2P will be explored later in relation to the integrations with social protection • Social protection programmes like Kanyashree, in West Bengal, aimed at girls at risk of child marriage in West Bengal, and models like Haqdarshak in India will be considered to learn how provincial and/or national social protection programmes can be integrated with CRVS systems to link girls at risk of child marriage and their families to social protection and public services for which they are eligible.
DPG4GJ: Discovery of legal services and information to prevent child marriage
This Activity plans to work in at least two countries to adapt an existing DPG to connect girls at risk of child marriage with: • accredited paralegal/ legal services • legal information • social protection programmes for which they are eligible using the social media interfaces and other channels that girls regularly use in other areas of daily life. Girls at risk of child marriage rely on trusted friends, family and agencies for information and support. A range of people could use this DPG, including paralegals, village-based facilitators, as well as people who officiate religious/ cultural marriages who identify that a marriage partner is under 18, in order to: • link the child and their family to accredited legal and support services • convey the risks of child marriage outlined in national strategy documents and why deferring marriage is in the best interests of the girl • connect girls at risk of child marriage with social protection programmes for which they may be eligible
Activity Type:
Connected members:
During 2025-2030, UN Women is collaborating with a range of partners to demonstrate how the benefits of Digital Public Goods (DPG) that have been developed in the last decade to advance health, education and other Sustainable Development Goals, can also contribute to the attainment of SDG5 on gender equality. In particular, UN Women is building partnerships to adapt and pilot in selected countries DPGs that support gender justice through both preventative and responsive services to end violence against women and girls. UN Women will convene a number of meetings to: • raise awareness and interest in the proactive design, build and adaptation of DPGs to advance DPG5 on gender equality and to secure the financial resources to support their development • seek the participation of selected DPGA members as a reference group for this work over 2025-2029 • consider the gendered dimensions of ending violence against women and girls and how the process of designing and using DPGs for gender justice should actively advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls and minimise potential harm. Partners for this activity include: • Agami CSO, based in Bengaluru, India and other partners involved in the development of PULSE and Jugalbandi such as the Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy (FIDE) • Relevant ministries in at least two pilot countries such as: Civil Registry, Ministries of technology and innovation; law and human rights, women’s empowerment and child protection; home affairs, national planning and develop, social affairs • CSOs working with girls and/or women in at least two pilot countries • Social protection programmes that have a demonstrated record of delaying child marriage through targeted cash transfer programmes and other support to girls at risk of child marriage; e.g. Kanyashree and Haqdarshak UN Women will mobilise and advocate for DPGs through the Commission on the Status of Women, other high-level UN meetings, as well as the membership and leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions, particularly: Action Coalition 1: Ending Violence Against Women, Action Coalition 2 Economic Justice and Action Coalition 5: Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. DPG members who are leaders in the Generation Equality Action Coalitions are: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ITU Rockefeller Foundation UNICEF Action Coalition 1 (Ending Violence Against Women) Member Countries: Iceland, Kenya, UK, Uruguay Action Coalition 2 (Economic Justice) Member Countries: Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden Action Coalition 5 (Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality) Member Countries: Armenia, Chile, Finland, Rwanda, Tunisia Action Coalition 3 (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights) Member Countries: Argentine, Burkino Faso, Denmark, France, North Macedonia Action Coalition 4 (Climate Justice) Member Countries: Costa Rica and Maldives Action Coalition 6 (Feminist Movements) Member Countries: Canada, Malawi, The Netherlands
Connected DPGs:
• Protocol on Unified Legal Services – PULSE – is a foundation DPG that enables the discovery of legal services. PULSE is an adaptation of the Beckn protocol for legal services in the Indian context. It is an open-source product and the aim would be to nominate it as a registered DPG during this activity. o This Protocol/ DPG can be used in other use cases to connect girls and women, boys and men at risk of other forms of violence with legal advisory services, including a use case of linking victims of human trafficking and labour exploitation to legal services. • Jugalbandi is a domain agnostic DPG that is not formally registered as a DPG. [Check whether Thoughtworks have proposed its registration]. Jugalbandi is a free and open platform that combines the power of Generative AI and Indian language translation models under the Bhashini mission to power conversational AI solutions in any domain.
Mobilise, Communicate and Advocate for DPGs in support of Gender Justice
This activity will explore the following issues through a series of discussions convened by UN Women and publication of a short report: 1\. Collaborative Design: the design thinking that is needed when building DPGs that will work for women and girls to promote their interests and safeguard against harm 2\. Implementation of new DPGs – what needs to happen for DPGs to be used and understood by a diverse range of women and girls 3\. Investment in digital public goods for gender justice 4\. 3-4 use cases including the Activities 1-3 listed above 5\. Challenges faced in the development of existing DPGs and why the gender justice opportunities may have been missed in the past 6\. Recommendations for Future Action on DPG for Gender Justice Expressions of interest from DPGA Members in contributing to a Reference Group will be circulated through the DPGA.
Activity Type:
Connected members:
UN Women will convene a number of meetings to: • raise awareness and interest in the proactive design, build and adaptation of DPGs to advance DPG5 on gender equality and to secure the financial resources to support their development • seek the participation of selected DPGA members as a reference group for this work over 2025-2029 • consider the gendered dimensions of ending violence against women and girls and how the process of designing and using DPGs for gender justice should actively advance the rights and opportunities of women and girls and minimise potential harm. Partners for this activity include: • Agami CSO, based in Bengaluru, India other partners in the development of PULSE and Jugalbandi such as the Foundation for Interoperability in Digital Economy (FIDE) • CSOs working to end child marriage in Africa, South Asia and SE Asia • Relevant ministries in at least two pilot countries such as: Civil Registry, Ministries of technology and innovation; law and human rights, women’s empowerment and child protection; home affairs, national planning and develop, social affairs • Social protection programmes that have a demonstrated record of delaying child marriage through targeted cash transfer programmes and other support to girls at risk of child marriage; e.g. Kanyashree and Haqdarshak UN Women will mobilise and advocate for DPGs through the Commission on the Status of Women, other high-level UN meetings, as well as the membership and leaders of the Generation Equality Action Coalitions, particularly: Action Coalition 1: Ending Violence Against Women, Action Coalition 2 Economic Justice and Action Coalition 5: Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality. DPG members who are leaders in the Generation Equality Action Coalitions are: Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation ITU Rockefeller Foundation UNICEF Action Coalition 1 (Ending Violence Against Women) Member Countries: Iceland, Kenya, UK, Uruguay Action Coalition 2 (Economic Justice) Member Countries: Germany, Mexico, South Africa, Spain, Sweden Action Coalition 5 (Technology and Innovation for Gender Equality) Member Countries: Armenia, Chile, Finland, Rwanda, Tunisia Action Coalition 3 (Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights) Member Countries: Argentine, Burkino Faso, Denmark, France, North Macedonia Action Coalition 4 (Climate Justice) Member Countries: Costa Rica and Maldives Action Coalition 6 (Feminist Movements) Member Countries: Canada, Malawi, The Netherlands
Connected DPGs:
DPGA members are championing activities that contribute to the discovery, development, use, and investment in digital public goods to accelerate the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals. Learn how they are making this vision a reality.