The Global Program on addressing GBSS, funded by the EU, is implemented in the following countries: Armenia, Azerbaijan and Georgia.

The objectives of the Program is to scale up the successful results and effective practices achieved during Phase I, address gaps, and to foster gender-transformative approaches to eliminate discriminatory social norms and harmful practices by scaling up effective, evidence-based interventions.

● Specific Objective Outcome 1: Coordination and oversight management strengthened

● Specific Objective Outcome 2: Explored the contextual realities that underlie sex selection and its interconnectedness with other harmful practices.

● Specific Objective Outcome 3: Indicators for tracking change and the impact of interventions developed and used.

● Specific Objective Outcome 4: Improved social and cultural patterns of behaviour that are based on the idea of the valuing of girls.

● Specific Objectives Outcome 5: Multi-stakeholder and multi-sectoral national and regional capacity for advocacy, development, implementation and monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes to address sex selection are strengthened

Applying the social and gender norms framework is one of the main areas of programme interventions of Phase II, to measure and monitor changes in social norms and, based on the findings, design targeted awareness-raising campaigns to change minds and attitudes about culture and norms and send clear messages to, engage in conversations with communities about the role and value of girls and women in family and society, their human rights etc.

Moreover, in 2022, the Global Programme was rebranded as the “Every Girl Counts” Strategy.

The new program identity reflects UNFPA’s focus on social and gender norms change as the most transformative and sustainable pathway to ending harmful practices.