Israel leads development of first UN toolkit on documenting terror-related sexual violence

Israel's Foreign Ministry is spearheading the creation of the first UN toolkit for first responders to document sexual and gender-based violence at terrorist attack sites. Developed with the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, the guide was inspired by research from Prof. Yifat Biton. Partners include Germany, Switzerland, and Nigeria's National Counter Terrorism Center.

Israel's Foreign Ministry has initiated and is leading the development of a first-of-its-kind UN toolkit designed to help emergency responders identify, document, and preserve evidence of sexual and gender-based violence at the sites of terrorist attacks. The 'Toolkit for First Emergency Responders in Sexual and Gender Based Violence Cases Linked to Terrorism' is being written alongside the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). It was inspired by research by Prof. Yifat Biton, President of Achva Academic College, who also wrote a 100-page report on the subject in 2024. Israel is partnering with the governments of Germany and Switzerland and Nigeria's National Counter Terrorism Center for the project. The guide aims to provide medical personnel, police officers, and emergency volunteers with practical tools to document crimes and preserve evidence while safeguarding survivors' safety and dignity. It is expected to be adopted by international humanitarian organizations, including UN agencies, as early as the beginning of 2027. During a strategy meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, Israel's special envoy for Women, Peace and Security, Sarah Weiss Ma'udi, said the project represents international diplomacy at its best. The UNODC's Terrorism Prevention Branch chief, Roberto Arbitrio, noted that first responders are seldom trained to identify such crimes.