DEPUTY SECRETARY-GENERAL MAKES TENTH ANNIVERSARY PLEDGE TO KEEP

UNITED NATIONS ON FRONT LINE IN ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Following is the text of UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro’s remarks on the tenth anniversary of the Trust Fund to End Violence against Women, as delivered in New York today, 16 February:

I am honoured to be with you today, and glad to speak to you so early in my tenure on a subject that merits attention at the highest levels.  Violence against women is an issue that cannot wait.

A brief look at the statistics demonstrates the urgency with which we have to act.  Already back in 1993, a World Bank study estimated that gender-based violence killed and caused ill health in as many women of reproductive age as cancer did, and was an even greater threat to their health than traffic accidents and malaria combined.

This is why it was so important that the General Assembly set up the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women 10 years ago.  Through this system-wide mechanism, Member States, UN entities and civil society can come together to address the pandemic that violence against women represents.

Over the past decade, UNIFEM [United Nations Development Fund for Women] has managed the Trust Fund successfully in terms of partnerships, strategic focus and fundraising.  In the process, UNIFEM has brought together 16 UN agencies, 8 international and regional organizations and a large number of women’s groups, all of whom have responded through the Trust Fund in a coordinated manner.

Today, ladies and gentlemen, is not only an occasion to celebrate.  It is also an opportunity to renew and redouble our efforts.

Last year’s report by the Secretary-General on ending violence against women called for measures to strengthen the Trust Fund as a tool for preventing violence against women, providing redress and taking account of lessons learned.  The report called for increased resources for the Fund -- a call that was backed by the General Assembly in its recent resolution 61/143 on ending violence against women.

I am proud to be joined here today by my compatriot and fellow jurist Nathalia Kimaro, a Trust Fund grantee who has worked tirelessly to sensitize the judiciary in Tanzania on violence against women, and to train judges to use international treaties and human rights conventions when ruling on cases in the courtroom.

On my part -- as a woman, a jurist, a Tanzanian and an African, I have long felt a deep and abiding commitment to doing all I can to defend and promote the rights of women.  I was privileged to serve, albeit briefly, on the Committee on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women.  I have also had an opportunity to work hand in hand with UNIFEM in my national capacity, to advance the cause of women’s empowerment.  Now, as Deputy Secretary-General, I pledge to do all I can to keep this world body united for the advancement and empowerment of women everywhere, and at the forefront of the cause of ending violence against women.

I look forward to working with all of you on that journey -- Member States, colleagues in the UN family, partners in civil society.  Your continued support is needed if we are to collectively succeed.  Let us keep the determination to end violence against women.

I would like to thank you very much for your kind attention.

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For information media • not an official record