To support efforts towards gender equality, UNDP, in partnership with UN ESCWA, UNFPA and UN Women, launched its initiative on "Gender Justice & the Law in the Arab States region," which offers governmental and non-governmental actors at the national, regional and international level a baseline to track progress on gender equality and discrimination in the law in line with international standards and conventions, and an annual platform for regional actors to exchange experiences to promote change. 

The initiative was launched in December 2018 with the release of 18 country reports on the status of laws related to gender equality in the Arab States region. The reports provided a systematic review which assessed whether the laws in the reviewed countries guaranteed equal rights for women, girls, men and boys, and whether they failed to provide protection against violence, thereby hampering access to justice for all. 

In 2019, the initiative launched a regional synthesis report, which reviewed developments in gender justice and equality before the law across the Arab region, and offered perspectives and analysis to inform policy making and gender-related action in the region. Furthermore, a regional colour coding dashboard was introduced, which monitored any changes and reforms in the laws 

 In 2022, 17 Arab countries country reports were published based on 73 indicators, inspired by the Sustainable Development Goal 5 on Gender Equality and specifically indicators 5.1.1 and 5.6.2. The country reports cover six areas of the law: the overarching legal frameworks and public life, eliminating violence against women, employment and economic benefits, personal matters and family life, sexual and reproductive health and rights. Each category includes indicators related to the promotion, and enforcement and monitoring of rights.  

Th process of the initiative also includes annual reviews of newly adopted or amended laws, conducted through an inclusive and engaging process with Governments.  

Alongside the reports, the regional gender justice portal was also developed through which governments and civil society can access data on the status of laws and exchange experiences to promote change. The portal is a repository of the products of the partnership since 2017. It contains the 20 country reports of 2018, the regional report of 2019, 17 country  reports  of 2022 and the interactive tool.  The interactive tool uses a simple five colour-code system to monitor progress of gender responsiveness in laws and public policies under each category. It provides policymakers with a dashboard to identify legislation that may need more attention, harmonization and/or amendment in line with international standards. Users can learn about the experiences of other Arab States in adopting and amending laws related to gender equality.