November 24th 2010, TRIPOLI – The Dutch Embassy in Libya has donated EUR 45,000 to UNDP Libya to support two projects tackling HIV/AIDS and Gender Equality.

The projects entitled: “The Leadership Development Programme for Positive Women and Girls” and “Support of The Family and Battered Women Protection Programme Libya” will receive an amount of €20000 and €25000 respectively.

The Leadership Development Program for Positive Women and Girls aims to empower vulnerable women and girls living with HIV/AIDS through workshops designed to develop their leadership capacity. The training covers areas such as rights and opportunities in the workplace and laws and policies to create safer places.

The Support of the Family and Battered Women Protection Program is one of the direct results of the Memorandum of Understanding between the Wattasemo Charity Society and UNDP which was signed last October 2010. The program focuses on increasing awareness and building commitment for gender equality, on exploring ways to combat all forms of violence against women and on promoting women’s engagement in economic activities. The program specifically aims at improving approaches and procedures for safeguarding family rights including mechanisms for moral and legal support.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative, Mrs. Costanza Farina expressed her gratitude to the Dutch Embassy, expecting positive results for the two projects.