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UN Women's Beijing+20 campaign Ending Violence against Women
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This month, as part of the year-long UN Women's Beijing+20 campaign, UN Women focuses on the social, health and economic costs of violence against women and girls and the efforts in legislation and advocacy to prevent this human rights violation. Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG) is one of the most widespread violations of human rights affecting 1 in 3 women worldwide and its end is a key priority for UN Women.
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International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women and 16 Days of Activism·Global
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25 November is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. Known as ‘Orange Day’, everyone is asked to wear orange, the official colour of the UNiTE Campaign to raise awareness and trigger action to end pandemic violence against women. Every year, 25 November kicks off 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence around the world (ending on 10 December, Human Rights Day).
This year, the UNiTE Campaign is extending ‘Orange Day’ throughout the 16 Days of Activism by inviting people to spread the word that violence against women must end by turning YOUR neighbourhood orange. The aim is to create the symbolic image of a world free from violence against women and girls.
UN Women has turned the Beijing+20 logo orange as a call to action. Now it is your turn to take the UNiTE campaign to local streets, shops and businesses, and organise ‘Orange Events’. Here you can download the toolkit and find inspiration how to ‘Orange YOUR Neighbourhood’.
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National Committees Meeting in Japan
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Jan Grasty giving vote of thanks to Vice Foreign Minister Mr. Nakayama
This autumn, UN Women National Committees were hosted by the National Committee (NC) for Japan in Tokyo. These annual meetings offer the National Committees an opportunity to discuss relevant issues with representatives from UN Women New York. This year ten NCs and two UN Women representatives from New York met over three days to discuss the progress of UN Women and potential areas for development.
The UK National Committee, along with Finland, was recognised for providing over $20M in core funding to UN Women and for an effective advocacy programme with the government. However, the need for greater funding of the Trust Fund to End Violence against Women and the Fund for Gender Equality was discussed.
Each National Committee gave a snapshot of local progress, best practice and campaign activity. As part of the conference, delegates were invited to meet with the Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs for Japan. Japan has made gender equality a national priority in their national planning.
Thanks to the Japan NC for a constructive and hospitable conference.
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UN Women UKNC at NGO Forum in Geneva
'Every woman, every right, every minute.
Everyone is responsible. The time is now'
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Jan Floyd-Douglass and Tuula Nieminen during roundtable discussions.
November saw the 20-year review of the Beijing Platform for Action and 700 participants from 350 NGOs in the 56 UN Economic Commission for Europe region countries gathered in Geneva to review progress and adopt recommendations for the future. The UN Women NCUK was represented by Jan Floyd-Douglass and Tuula Nieminen. Among the keynote speakers were UN Women Deputy Executive Director Lakshmi Puri and UN Women Regional Director for Europe and Central Asia Ingibjorg Gisladottir.
The intense three-day Forum was packed with major plenary sessions and 16 interactive roundtables. Each of the 12 critical areas of concern of the Beijing Platform for Action and four emerging issues (human rights and migrant women; science, technology and innovation for the advancement of women; older women; and men and boys for gender equality) were covered in the roundtable discussions. The NGO representatives were given a chance to comment on progress to date and to present recommendations for overcoming the remaining challenges in gender equality for women and girls everywhere.
At the end of the Forum, a declaration and recommendations were adopted. On 6th November, the declaration was delivered at the opening of the intergovernmental Beijing+20 UN ECE Review Meeting. The outcomes of the regional review processes, together with the national reviews completed by individual States in May 2014, will feed into the global review and appraisal that UN Women submits to the 59th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), in New York March 2015.
The UN Women NCUK fully supports the NGO Forum’s call for:
- Fulfilment of the Beijing commitments to all interconnected and universal human rights and systematic implementation of a women’s rights approach reinforced by an accountability and resourcing framework.
- Inclusion of a clear and stand-alone goal on gender equality and women’s rights in the post-2015 SDG agenda, plus recognition of girls and women’s rights in other SDG goals and specific strategies.
- CEDAW must remain the framework for monitoring and accountability of government commitments.
- Women’s equal access to resources including land, credit and funding towards an intergenerational social, cultural, development, environmental, economic, civil and political rights and justice.
- Investing in women and girls’ rights including Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; ending violence against all women and girls, particularly ending child, early and forced marriage as well as FGM.
- Urgent and systematic focus on women of all ages as users, shapers and leaders of new technologies.
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