UNITED NATIONS, New York – On 12 March, the of the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls marked its fifth anniversary on the sidelines of the seventieth session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW70). ‘Five Years On: Securing Achievements and Ensuring Durable Impact’ brought together leaders from the United Nations (UN), European Union (EU), Member and Observer States, and civil society. It aimed to take stock of progress, reaffirm political commitments and renew action to prevent and end all forms of violence against women and girls.
The high-level event was moderated by Sherine Tadros, Deputy Director of Advocacy for Amnesty International and the organization’s representative to the UN.
“In just five years, the world has changed profoundly,” said European Commissioner for Equality, Preparedness and Crisis Management Hadja Lahbib in her opening remarks. “More conflicts, more crisis, more division. But one thing has not changed – our determination to end violence against women.”
She called violence against women “a poison in the bloodstream of our societies” and said that despite the EU’s historic progress towards ending violence, “we are not at the finish line.” She reiterated the EU’s commitment to support Member States to implement the violence against women directive; prevent, protect and support victims; and to work with online platforms to prevent digital gender-based violence (GBV).
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UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed thanked the European Union for “the largest commitment to gender-based violence”, their investment of half a billion euros in seed funding for Spotlight initiative, during her keynote speech.
Ms. Mohammed addressed the rising threat of conflict and war to women and girls: “Conflict-related violence, political violence, and the violence woven through daily life come to us under different names, in different settings, with different perpetrators. Yet they grow from the same old assumption that women’s lives can be discounted, women’s bodies can be used, women’s voices can be contained, and women’s freedom can be traded away when power decides it has other priorities… This wider climate should disturb us.”
“Today, let us double down and say ‘no’ to violence of any type against any women or girls. Let us demand the investments that are needed for us to succeed in the promises that we have made to leave no one behind.”
UN Women Executive Director Sima Sami Bahous said, “this Group was born of crisis and instability during Covid. Today, that sense of crisis and instability has changed, but it is not diminished.”
Ms. Bahous continued: “We have not been idle. Since 2019, 90 per cent of Member States have strengthened laws on violence against women and girls. Seventy-nine per cent have updated or expanded national action plans. Now, we need action.”
She highlighted the challenges survivors still face in reporting violence and the critical underfunding of feminist movements and organizations – “UN Women analysis shows us that over one third are suspending programmes addressing violence, and almost all report severe reductions on women’s and girls’ access to essential services.”
“Through Spotlight Initiative, which was supported by the EU, we have seen that when the UN acts together it delivers major results.”
Executive Director of Women Aid Collective and former Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons, Joy Ngozi Ezeilo, addressed the way that climate shocks and rapid digitalization are creating new and overlapping risks for violence against women and girls. “Climate-driven resource capacity is linked to household violence,” said Ms. Ezeilo. “Additionally, displacement significantly increases exposure to exploitation and abuse, and digital platforms are facilitating new forms of technology-facilitated gender-based violence.”
“The Group of Friend has done a lot – and your work is not done. Please don’t give up. We hope that with women leading, the scourge, epidemic and impunity of violence against women will end.”
The following panel discussion focused on how to address some of the gaps that hinder progress.
Minister of Solidarity, Social Integration and the Family, Morocco, Naima Ben Yahia, said, “violence against women is not a sectoral issue, but a structural challenge that affects social, justice, development and democracy.” She highlighted how her nation is using digital advancements and innovations to enhance access to justice for survivors and improve monitoring of violence, among other actions.
Vice Minister of Women and Human Rights, Ecuador, Maria Luisa Morales Apraez, spoke about her country’s experience with implementing gender-responsive budgeting.
Director of the General Authority for Family Development and Protection, Mongolia, Bayarsaikhan Baljinyyam, highlighted Mongolia’s progress in sanitation, preventing digital violence and responding to climate change: “Our country’s warming at more than twice the global average, placing increasing pressure on our nomadic way of life. It has a serious impact on the daily lives of rural women and girls, whose families depend on livestock, pasture and land for their livelihood. Climate action is therefore not only about protecting nature… It’s also about protecting the future of women, girls and families.”
Coordinator of the Gender Specialized Network of the Iberoamerican Association of Public Prosecutor Mariella Labozzetta spoke about translating legal and policy gains into implementation. “We are learning in these times that the achievements of recent decades regarding the rights of women and girls at the legislative, public policy and institutional levels are not set in stone.” To combat backsliding, she emphasized the need to maintain institutional frameworks that are already established, strengthen regional coordination spaces and share knowledge and experience.
Cabinet Secretary for Gender, Culture, the Arts and Heritage, Kenya, Hanna Wendot Cheptumo, highlighted her country’s partnerships with traditional leaders to change norms and attitudes around violence. “When government partners effectively with community and traditional leaders, they unlock powerful local influence that can shift attitudes strengthen prevention and create safer communities for women and girls.”
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Associate Director of Equality Now, Esther Waweru, spoke about the need for co-creation and shared ownership of programmes between government, international bodies and civil society. “Sustainable progress requires strong, interconnected actors who can carry the work forward beyond project programmes,” said Ms. Waweru.
Secretary of State for Equality of Timor-Leste, Elvina Sousa Carvalho, said, “In Timor-Leste, the government and civil society strengthened capacity for gender-responsive budgeting through strong partnership, shared experience and inclusive participation in the planning and budgeting process.” She shared some key approaches with the audience.
“For survivors, progress is measured not in policies alone, but in whether they can access safety, justice and support when violence occurs,” shared Director of the Centre for Human Rights, University of Lagos, and a member of the Spotlight Initiative Civil Society Global Reference Group, Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi. Dr. Abiola Akiyode-Afolabi emphasized the need for sustained investment in civil society organizations, who are on the front lines of work to support survivors.
Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), Pio Smith offered closing remarks: “Today, we have 96 members in this Group of Friends, representing every region of the globe. It’s a formidable front, at a time when we are navigating an upsurge in conflict and a deadly pushback against gender equality… We must continue to build this momentum in the face of adversity.”