This Guidance Note by the UN’s Sceretary General aims to provide policy and operational guidance for United Nations engagement in the area of reparations for victims of conflict-related sexual violence. It includes activities designed to advocate for and/or support the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of reparation programmes and initiatives directed at victims of conflict-related sexual violence. The Note is intended to complement other relevant UN tools and Guidance Notes, in particular the Notes on the UN approach to rule of law assistance and to transitional justice.

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Some of the principles outlined in this note are also applicable to UN engagement with regard to reparations for victims of sexual and gender based violence outside a conflict or post-conflict situation, as well as to victims of other violations of international human rights law and international humanitarian law. The focus on sexual violence in this note is intended to recognize the need for approaches to reparation that are specifically tailored to the consequences, sensitivity and stigmas attached to these harms in societies globally, and to the specific needs of sexual and gender-based violence survivors.