Press Release
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon Calls for Immediate Action to End Violence against Women
United Nations chief launches Network of Men Leaders to support efforts; announces US$10.5 million in new grants for initiatives to end violence against women and girls.
For immediate release
Date: 24 November 2009
Media Inquiries:
Oisika Chakrabarti, Media Specialist, UNIFEM Headquarters, +1 212 906-6506,
United Nations, New York — Marking the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will call Tuesday for increased action to deal with the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.
“We must demand accountability for the violations, and take concrete steps to end impunity. We must listen to and support the survivors,” said the Secretary-General in his message on the Day.
At UN Headquarters, the Secretary-General will launch his Network of Men Leaders, a major new initiative of his UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign. Each member of the Network — current and former politicians, activists, religious and community leaders, and others — will work to support the longstanding efforts of women and civil society organizations worldwide to end violence, undertaking actions from raising public awareness to advocating for adequate laws.
Secretary-General Ban will also announce new grants for projects on the ground to be awarded this year by the UN Trust Fund in Support of Actions to Eliminate Violence against Women, managed by UNIFEM, which amount to US$10.5 million for 13 initiatives in 18 countries and territories.
Resources for the Fund, which gives grants to support innovative regional, local and national initiatives, fall drastically short for meeting a vast demand, with grant requests totalling US$857 million received just for 2009. To address this funding gap, the target of raising an annual US$100 million for the Fund by 2015 has been set by the Secretary-General as an objective of his UNiTE campaign.
Dozens of events will take place around the world to mark the International Day, organized by UN offices working with government and civil society partners, including the regional launch in Guatemala of the UNiTE campaign for Latin America.
By 2015, the UNiTE campaign aims to achieve the following five goals in all countries:
- Adopt and enforce national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls
- Adopt and implement multi-sectoral national action plans
- Strengthen data collection on the prevalence of violence against women and girls
- Increase public awareness and social mobilization
- Address sexual violence in conflict
Current members of the Secretary-General’s Network of Men Leaders
- Juan Carlos Areán, Program Director of the Family Violence Prevention Fund
- Gary Barker, International Center for Research on Women
- Ted Bunch, Co-founder of the National Association of Men and Women Committed to Ending Violence against Women
- Paulo Coelho, novelist and United Nations Messenger of Peace
- Franco Fattini, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Italy
- Cesar Gaviria Trujillo, former President of Colombia and former Secretary General of the Organization of American States
- Ricardo Lagos, former President of Chile
- Andrew Levack, Co-chair of MenEngageAlliance
- Todd Minerson, Executive Director of the White Ribbon Campaign
- Emmanuel Ochora, Gulu Youth for Action in Uganda
- Dean Peacock, founder of Building Partnerships to End Men’s Violence
- José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Prime Minister of Spain
- Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and Police of Norway
- Archbishop Desmond Tutu, winner of the Nobel Peace Prize
Programme for UN Headquarters, 24 November
At 10.00 a.m. in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon will launch his Network of Men Leaders at the official observance of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women.
A roundtable discussion on “Involving Men and Boys in Ending Violence against Women” will follow in the Trusteeship Council Chamber, with remarks by Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro.
The Secretary-General will brief the press at 10.40 a.m. in Room S-226. He will be joined by:
- H.E. Mr. Knut Storberget, Minister of Justice and Police of Norway
- HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador
- Ms. Ghida A. Anani, UN Trust Fund Grantee and Program Coordinator for KAFA (“Enough”) Violence & Exploitation, Lebanon
All events will be webcast live at www.un.org/webcast.
Press contact for the UNiTE campaign: Charlotte Scaddan, Department of Public Information, tel: +1-917-367-9378, email: scaddan[at]un.org
Press contact for UNIFEM and the UN Trust Fund: Oisika Chakrabati, UNIFEM, +1 212 906-6506, email: oisika.chakrabarti[at]unifem.org
For more on the Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, visit: http://endviolence.un.org/
Full details of new Trust Fund grants are available at: www.unifem.org
