16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence: Day 6

Day 6: Australia and the United States Partnership to Address Violence Against Women Globally

The importance of addressing violence against women was emphasised in a joint statement released by Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd and US Secretary of State Hilary Clinton on 6 November this year. IWDA commends this action and awaits the implementation of the commitments outlined.

Statement

Violence devastates the lives of millions of women and girls globally. It knows no socio-economic or educational boundaries. It is not particular to any society or culture.

Globally, around 30 per cent of women and girls experience physical, psychological or sexual violence during their lifetime. Tragically, the incidence of violence is much higher in situations of armed conflict.

This is simply unacceptable. Violence against women is a universal problem that must be universally condemned and addressed.

2011 marks the centenary of International Women’s Day, and this year is the 10th anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security. Australia and the United States today renew their commitment to these global goals of the empowerment of women.

Empowering and protecting women requires strong, coordinated action by the international community. 

To this end, Australia and the United States fully endorse the establishment of the new global institution ‘UN Women’, and the appointment of former Chilean President, Michelle Bachelet, to lead it.

UN Women will play a key role in supporting the UN and its member states to deliver on commitments made to women and girls. We are confident that Under-Secretary-General Bachelet will be a strong actor for the protection and advancement of women globally.

Australia and the United States will also work together to support efforts to prevent and respond to violence against women in the Asia Pacific region.

In partnership with the World Bank Group, Australia and the United States will co-host a policy dialogue in Australia in 2011 on effective means to combat gender-based violence and promote the empowerment of women across the Pacific region. 

Australia and the United States will collaborate closely with Papua New Guinea on an integrated approach to violence against women and HIV/AIDS. Australia will contribute up to $3 million over three years to support this initiative. The United States will also step up the fight against HIV by doubling the contribution to fight HIV/AIDS in PNG next year.

Today, Australia and the United States reaffirm our commitment to the protection of women and girls from violence, and we call on other governments to join us in this support for UN Women, Michelle Bachelet, and this important cause. 

The statement is available online, please visit the Australian Minister for Foreign Affairs website.

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16 Days of Activism is a global campaign encouraging organisations and individuals across the world to take a stand against gender-based violence.

The campaign starts on 25th November: The International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, and ends on 10th December: World Human Rights Day.

16 Days of Activism was started by the Centre for Women’s Global Leadership 18 years ago. The campaign’s beginning and end dates highlight that violence against women is a human rights violation.

Thousands of diverse groups and individuals now take part in 16 Days, together calling for an end to all types of violence against women. Each year people organise events in their communities, including meetings, conferences, demonstrations, exhibitions and performances.

This year at IWDA, we have decided to use the 16 Days to highlight the work our partners in Asia and the Pacific are doing to improve the situation for women and girls in their communities, as well as the work IWDA is undertaking in Australia. Each day between 25th November and 10th December, we will post a short article about 16 Days on our website, Facebook page, and Twitter page.

Tags: 16 Days of Activism

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 30th, 2010 under 16_Days, Recent.
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