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Statements

The launch of the Secretary-General’s campaign will take place during the opening meeting of the Commission on the Status of Women, to a high-level audience of Government Ministers and Ambassadors, as well as numerous non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and representatives of the UN System:


THE SECRETARY-GENERAL REMARKS TO THE COMMISSION ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN
New York, 25 February 2008

(Check against delivery)

Mr. President of ECOSOC, Distinguished Ministers, Mr. Chairperson of the Commission, Excellencies, Civil society representatives, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am honoured and moved to be with you today.

Standing here before the Commission on the Status of Women, whose members have done so much for gender equality worldwide, I am energized by your activism and inspired by your achievements.

Today, we come together to launch a global campaign to end violence against women. I am counting on you -- advocates from Government, civil society and the UN -- to carry our message around the world.

Violence against women is an issue that cannot wait. A brief look at the statistics makes it clear. At least one out of every three women is likely to be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. Through the practice of prenatal sex selection, countless others are denied the right even to exist. No country, no culture, no woman young or old is immune to this scourge. Far too often, the crimes go unpunished, the perpetrators walk free.

War has always been devastating, but now, women and girls are themselves targets in the war zone. Today’s weapons of armed conflict include rape, sexual violence, and the abduction of children conscripted as soldiers or forced into sexual slavery.

On my visits to conflict-torn areas around the world, I have spoken with women who have endured horrific forms of violence. I will forever be haunted by their suffering -- but equally, I will always be inspired by their courage. These mothers, sisters, daughters and friends are determined to reclaim their lives.

This is a campaign for them. It is a campaign for the women and girls who have the right to live free of violence, today and in the future. It is a campaign to stop the untold cost that violence against women inflicts on all humankind.

We know that gender inequality is hampering progress towards the Millennium Development Goals -- our common vision to build a better world in the 21st century.

We know that violence against women compounds the enormous social and economic toll on families, communities, even whole nations.

And we know that when we work to eradicate violence against women, we empower our greatest resource for development: mothers raising children; law-makers in parliament; chief executives, negotiators, teachers; doctors, policewomen, peacekeepers and more.

And so my campaign to end violence against women will continue until 2015 to coincide with the target date for the Millennium Development Goals.

We have solid policy frameworks and initiatives to build on.

UN Action Against Sexual Violence in Conflict brings together 12 entities across the United Nations family, from the Department of Peacekeeping Operations to the World Health Organization.

The UN Task Force on violence against women is spearheading joint programming at the national level.

The UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, set up eleven years ago, has supported partners in communities, nations and regions around the world.

Just last December, the General Assembly adopted a historic resolution on rape and sexual violence.

And the landmark resolution 1325 on women, peace and security adopted by the Security Council seven years ago raised the issue to the level it deserves.

Today, I call again on the Security Council to establish a mechanism dedicated to monitoring violence against women and girls, under the framework of resolution 1325.

Let us remember: there is no blanket approach to fighting violence against women. What works in one country may not lead to desired results in another. Each nation must devise its own strategy.

But there is one universal truth, applicable to all countries, cultures and communities: violence against women is never acceptable, never excusable, never tolerable.

In this campaign, I will personally approach world leaders to spur action through national campaigns.

I will urge all States to review applicable laws, and to revise them or enact new ones to ensure that violence against women is always criminalized. And I will call on all States to enforce their laws to end impunity.

I will encourage the media to take our message far and wide, and urge regional organizations to set priorities and targets.

I will galvanize the UN system to provide stronger and more effective support to all stakeholders, at the local, national, regional and global level.

I will form a global network of male leaders to assist me in mobilizing men and boys – men in Government, men in the arts and sports, men in business, men in the religious sphere, men in every walk of life, who know what leadership truly means.

I will work hand in hand with women’s groups worldwide. The progress over the past century happened thanks to them, and they will be our chief standard bearers in the future too.

And I will propose a high-level event in 2010 to review what we have accomplished, exchange best practices and map out the steps ahead.

Dear friends,

Our campaign will build on a deep and broad partnership, bringing in all society to take us to the end of violence against women and girls everywhere.

To help us reach our destination, I call on young people around the world -- our leaders of tomorrow.

I call on the private sector around the world, whose reach is indispensable in advancing our cause.

I call on women’s groups around the world, whose valiance and vision have brought us to where we are today, and who will keep charting the way forward.

I call on men around the world to lead by example: to make clear that violence against women is an act perpetrated by a coward, and that speaking up against it is a badge of honour.

I call on Member States around the world: the responsibility, above all, lies with you.

I call on all of you to pledge with me:

United We Shall Succeed.

Thank you very much.



THE DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL REMARKS TO THE 52ND SESSION OF THE COMMISSION
ON THE STATUS OF WOMEN - New York, 27 February 2008

Distinguished delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,

I am proud to stand here on behalf of 10 UN agencies to reaffirm our collective commitment to stop the archaic practice of female genital mutilation.

An estimated 3 million girls are at risk of undergoing this procedure this year. Some 140 million women, mostly in Asia, the Middle East and in Africa, have already endured it.

Genital mutilation is a practice deeply rooted in social and cultural traditions. For its proponents it is an integral part of their identity which continues to structure and influence intergenerational relationships.

Female genital mutilation remains a powerful social convention that is difficult for families to abandon without support from the wider community.

I wish to unequivocally underscore that values that underpin female genital mutilation have outlived their purposes.

Today, we must stand and firmly oppose this practice because it clashes with our core universal values and constitutes a challenge to human dignity and health.

We know of no health benefits that come of female genital mutilation. But we do know that it causes much harm.

The World Health Organization concluded recently that women who have undergone genital mutilation have significantly increased risks for adverse events during childbirth.

The consequences of genital mutilation are unacceptable anywhere, anytime and by any moral and ethical standard. Often, female genital mutilation is carried out on minors, violating the rights of a child to free and full consent on matters concerning her body and body functions.

Yet there are no quick or easy solutions to bringing an end to female genital mutilation. To address it, we must change collective behavior, and target the core values and mechanisms that have supported its existence for generations. Ladies and gentlemen,

If we can come together for a sustained push, female genital mutilation can vanish within a generation. This goal demands both increased resources and strengthened coordination and cooperation among all of us. That is the purpose of today’s landmark Statement issued by 10 UN Agencies.

This is not the first time the UN System comes together to address this issue. In 1997, three UN agencies first issued a joint statement on Female Genital Mutilation. The statement drew attention to the grave human rights and public health implications of this practice, and publicly called for its abandonment.

In the decade since, many efforts have been made to counteract the practice.

More and more UN agencies have become involved; human rights treaty monitoring bodies and international resolutions have condemned the practice; several Governments have passed laws against it; and political support for ending female genital mutilation is growing.

Last year, for instance, at the Commission on the Status of Women UN Member States agreed for the first time to a resolution on ending female genital mutilation.

The prevention efforts undertaken by governments, national and international organizations and local communities have begun to bear fruit.

As public support for the abandonment of female genital mutilation has grown, its prevalence in some countries has declined. Communities that have employed a collective decision making process have been proved particularly successful.

Despite these laudable gains, the rate of decline in this practice leaves much to be desired. In far too many countries the prevalence of female genital mutilation remains high. If we are to eliminate it, we must redouble our efforts.

This Interagency Statement reflects our resolve. The statement reaffirms our collective commitment to this issue, while incorporating new evidence and lessons-learnt over the past decade. It highlights the human rights and legal dimensions of the problem, and underscores that the practice can only be changed through collective action by affected communities. And it makes clear our determination to help end this practice.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The United Nations agencies confirm their commitment to support governments, communities and the female victims of genital mutilation achieve the abandonment of this procedure within a generation.

And we call on Member States to join us as full partners in this fight, to promote the end of this terrible practice, to respond to its consequences, and to hold those who perpetrate it criminally responsible for inflicting harm on girls and women.

Thank you very much.