Press release: League of Arab States, UN Women and UNFPA reaffirm their joint commitment to prevent gender-based violence and to support survivors

Cairo, Egypt - 8 December 2019 - Nowadays, we are witnessing the ongoing global events to end violence against women and girls, in particular the “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, under the theme “Orange the World”, which begins each year on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and concludes on 10 December, International Human Rights Day.

In the same context, the League of Arab States, in collaboration with the UNFPA Regional Office for Arab States and the UN Women Regional Office for the Arab States renew their joint commitment and strong partnership to prevent gender-based violence (GBV) and to support survivors of violence in the region on Sunday, 8 December in an expanded meeting dedicated to the same purpose.

The League of Arab States will light up its building in orange for the first time in a historic event in solidarity with the campaign on Saturday evening, 7 December 2019. It will also host a joint press conference between the League of Arab States, represented by Amb. Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Sector of Social Affairs; with UNFPA, represented by Regional Director Louay Shabaneh; and UN Women, represented by Regional Director a.i. Moez Doraid.

The League of Arab States pays special attention to the need to eliminate violence against women. In March 2017, Arab leaders adopted the Cairo Declaration for Arab Women and the Strategic Plan of Action for the Development of Women in the Arab Region 2030 during the 28th Arab Summit in Jordan. The strategy includes important items for the elimination of violence against women and girls. In addition, the League of Arab States in collaboration with the Coalition of Women Parliamentarians from the Arab States to Combat Violence against Women, the Westminster Foundation for Democracy, and UN Women are developing the first Convention on the Elimination of all forms of violence against Women and Girls in the Arab Region including domestic violence.

Dr. Haifa Abu-Ghazaleh, Assistant Secretary-General and Head of the Social Affairs Sector of the League of Arab States, has accentuated the Arab League's interest in working towards the realization of women's rights, and that if women and girls - half of the potential of any nation - do not have equal access to quality education Job opportunities, health, re-employment, ownership, justice and leadership, that will deprive States of an active, sustainable and prosperous future. Gender equality and equal opportunities can be considered the “baseline” to achieve all other SDGs.

Mr. Louay Shabaneh, UNFPA Regional Director for the Arab States, expressed his satisfaction for the increasing interest at the regional level and the support given to the efforts to eliminate violence against women and girls. He pointed out that this violence is one of the most common violations of human rights in the world, and knows no social, economic or national borders. Shabana added that this is a loud cry against the shadows of silence that have accompanied this violence for centuries and still exist in many areas. He also described UNFPA as one of the leading UN agencies working to promote gender equality, empower women, and address the physical and psychological consequences of gender-based violence. UNFPA programmes provide survivors of violence with psychosocial assistance, medical treatment and the appropriate toolkit they need.

Mr. Moez Doraid, the Regional Director a.i. of UN Women in the Arab States, stressed that the violence women and girls experience in their daily lives is a structural result directly linked to underlying factors such as inequality and discriminatory social norms that value women’s contribution to our collective society as below that of men’s and that gender-based violence affects one third of all women and girls globally. It is one of the most pervasive human rights violations, as women and girls experience it in all spaces: in the streets, on public transportation, at school, at work, and at home. Globally, 137 women are killed every day by a member of their own family.

During the event, international commitments to end violence against women will be highlighted with the participation of youth. This meeting will be a reminder of the ability and commitment of actors to work together to provide services to women and girls who have experienced, or are still experiencing, violence.

These events come in line with the UNiTE campaign which is spearheaded by the UN Secretary-General, and which aims to end violence against women, and to encourage everyone to take global action to raise awareness, mobilize advocacy efforts and share knowledge and innovations. The campaign highlights actions to eradicate this global scourge, one of the most widespread human rights violations in the world.

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For more information, please contact

UN Women: Nourhan A. El-Nagdy Communications Assistant

E-mail: [ Click to reveal ]

Mobile: +20 12 8280 8644

The League of Arab States: Aya Raed, member of the Department of Women, Family and Childhood

Email: [ Click to reveal ]

UNFPA: Samir Emtir Al-Darabie, Regional Media Advisor

Mobile: 00201068484879

Email: [ Click to reveal ]