Download Subtitles for Deputy Secretary-General on Violence Against Women

to act is now and right now we are going to hear a special message from one of the world's leading women the deputy Secretary General of the UN Amina J Muhammad who sadly couldn't be with us but she wanted to make sure that you would hear directly from her excellencies ladies and gentlemen thank you for joining us in this commemoration the International Day for the elimination of violence against women and girls serves as a stark reminder of one of the most pervasive human rights violations and a global public health problem with negative multiplier effects across economies politics and societies the rates of violence against women are alarmingly high and further aggravated by conflicts crisis and emergencies and the protracted Global backlash against gender equality is threatening to undo Decades of hard one gains women's rights defend Enders and activists are facing more risks than ever before including in the digital sphere halfway through the 2030 agenda we are far from achieving the target of eliminating violence against women and girls it transcends borders and cultures this year's commemoration calls for the special attention to prevention investment in prevention is to invest in our Collective well-being it means creating conditions where women and girls can thrive unburdened by the fear of violence it means addressing both root causes and drivers of violence challenging discriminatory norms and practices and promoting holistic prevention policies and programs first to address root causes and drivers it is important to invest in data collection and Analysis and use it to inform policy and programming second to tackle discriminatory norms and practices legal reform to enhance equality and advocacy towards behavioral change is needed and third prevention policies and programs must be multisectoral coordinated and well resourced with a long-term Vision the EU un Spotlight initiative provides a promising Model results achieved have been historic and unprecedented nearly 500 laws and policies have been signed or strengthened 2.5 million women and girls have access gbv services and thousands of lives have been saved a both goals five and 16 Spotlight has strengthened Civic space as well as deepen government ownership and sustainability evidenced by the tenfold increase in National budget allocations to gbv as we prepare for Summit of the future your engagement in prevention is critical to accelerate efforts collectively investing in prevention is not just practical it is transformative we must act now for a better and safer for future for all women and girls and for everyone each of us has a vital role the UN family development Partners civil society and the private sector to step up our efforts in preventing and ending violence against women and girls let's turn our shared commitment into concrete action and together let's build a future where every woman and girl live free from violence thank you I'd like to invite