A/HRC/23/25 I. Introduction 1. In its resolution 20/12 on “accelerating efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women: remedies for women who have been subjected to violence”, the Human Rights Council requested the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), “to prepare, in consultation with relevant stakeholders, and to present to the Human Rights Council, at its twenty-third session, recommendations on how to create and/or strengthen linkages and synergies between the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, and also with other relevant intergovernmental processes on the issue of violence against women and girls”. 2. In preparing the recommendations, OHCHR made an online call for submissions and consulted with the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences, relevant United Nations entities1 and other stakeholders. 3. The report first maps out how various intergovernmental bodies have addressed violence against women since 2009. It is divided into two sections. The first section addresses synergies and linkages between the mechanisms of the Human Rights Council on the issue of violence against women and girls. The second section addresses synergies and linkages between the Council and other intergovernmental processes, namely the General Assembly, the Security Council, and two of the functional commissions of the Economic and Social Council: the Commission on the Status of Women and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice. It then presents some conclusions and recommendations. 4. In accordance with resolution 20/12, the review informing the recommendations focuses on the issue of violence against women. Gender-integration into the work of the Human Rights Council and other intergovernmental processes is not fully addressed in this report.2 II. Synergies and linkages between mechanisms of the Human Rights Council 5. The present section is based on a review of the scope and nature of the work on violence against women undertaken by the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms in the period 2009-2012. The review focuses on how the work of the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences and other relevant thematic mandates 1 2 Entities consulted included the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on sexual violence in conflict, the Team of Experts under Security Council resolution 1888 (2009), the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on children in armed conflict, the Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on violence against children and the United Nations Organization on Drugs and Crime (UNODC). Gender integration in the work of the Human Rights Council is considered under follow-up reports on HRC resolution 6/30 and ensuing reports by OHCHR. UN Women submits an annual report to the General Assembly on gender-equality issues in the Secretary-General’s reports, and in resolutions of the Economic and Social Council and the General Assembly (most recent report A/67/185). In response to the findings and recommendations in these reports, the General Assembly has requested that: (1) a gender perspective be reflected in the reports of the Secretary General, and (2) intergovernmental bodies reflect a gender perspective in their work (see most recent resolution 67/148, paras. 14, 16, 19 and 20). 3