Every Woman is heading to New York for the United Nations General Assembly High-Level Week at a moment of profound global challenge. Conflicts continue to upend communities, hard-won rights are under threat, and rates of violence against women and girls remain deeply troubling. These realities serve as a stark reminder of the essential role human rights and humanitarian law play in our world and how urgent and necessary it is to stand together to protect rights and build on the progress we’ve made.
UNGA is a time to celebrate progress, acknowledge challenges, and recommit to upholding the principles we all share. Toward that end, Every Woman will join high-level dialogues, participate in sessions focused on gender equality, and engage in bilateral meetings with governments, UN leaders, and women’s rights activists. Our focus will be on listening and learning how we can work together to strengthen global instruments, including through the possibility of a new Optional Protocol to CEDAW to end violence against women and girls.
We pay special tribute to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and the Beijing Platform for Action, two instruments that anchor women’s rights and gender equality in the global dialogue, expand legal protections, and provide a clear roadmap for addressing violence against women and girls in every sphere of life. They must be safeguarded and reinforced to meet the challenges of our time.
Every Woman stands behind international human rights and humanitarian law and believes that no form of violence by any actor, under any circumstance, is acceptable. We stand in unwavering solidarity with survivors and women’s rights activists worldwide. Ending violence against women and girls is not only possible — it is essential for peace, justice, and human dignity. A collective path will get us there.
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