Doha: The Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations, Amina Mohammed stated that every major crisis the world faces today, from climate change to conflicts to poverty, intersects with violence against women and girls.
Her Excellency made the remarks during a press conference held to highlight the report "Beyond Progress: Consolidating Gains to End Violence against Women and Girls," which was launched today as part of the closing events of the Second World Summit for Social Development, currently underway in Doha.
The Deputy Secretary-General considered the "Spotlight" initiative, which prepared and published the report, to be extremely important, saying: "The 2030 Agenda and the commitments of the Doha Declaration cannot be achieved without the full participation of women and girls."
She emphasized that the initiative works to strengthen protection from violence and empower women by supporting governments in developing gender-sensitive laws, policies, and institutions. She added that the initiative focuses on preventing violence, providing high-quality services to survivors, and ensuring accountability for perpetrators, all under the leadership of civil society. This approach will prevent an estimated 21 million women and girls from experiencing violence by the end of this year.
She stated that the report, published today, demonstrates potential of work is undertaken across sectors and institutions. She explained that the Spotlight Initiative's investments in its first phase have yielded exceptional results in more than 25 countries, with over 540 laws and policies signed or strengthened to help protect the rights of women and girls.
Nearly 8 million young people have participated in programs promoting equality and respect, and more than 380 million people have been reached through campaigns challenging violence and discrimination. Furthermore, conviction rates for gender-based violence have doubled in 13 countries.
She said these figures and data help advance this work, noting the importance of considering the perspectives of the people behind these numbers to fully understand the true impact on people's lives.
The Deputy Secretary-General highlighted the efforts of governments to support this initiative, saying, "There are millions still living in fear and suffering... that's why our work cannot stop."
She emphasized that any new regional effort across Africa would further enhance this work, noting that partnerships are essential for building and scaling up successes.
