On 19-20 January 2017, No Peace Without Justice, in partnership with the Inter-African Committee for Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children  (IAC) and the NGO Voix des Femmes, convened a national workshop in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, aimed at fostering the implementation of United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolutions 69/146 and 69/150 calling for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation (FGM).

The workshop was organised with the support of the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation and the Islamic Development Bank. Participants included representatives from relevant Ministries (Ministry of Women Affairs, National Solidarity and Family, Ministry of Justice and Human Rights, Ministry of Security and Territorial Administration), the judicial sector, civil society activists, journalists from Burkina Faso as well as representatives of UN agencies (UNICEF, UNFPA).

This event aimed to strengthen awareness-raising and advocacy activities about the implications of the UNGA resolutions both among representatives of the government, civil society organisations and other key actors involved in the fight against FGM, and to ensure its effective application. The workshop will provide an opportunity to analyse and discuss national mechanisms designed to protect women and girls against FGM and to identify operational challenges and adequate measures to improve existing strategies addressing violations of the prohibition of FGM, as well as to strengthen the capacity of the police, gendarmerie and the judiciary in ensuring compliance with the law.

Documentation:

• Final report of the national workshop (in French)
• Final Declaration and recommendations adopted by participants (in French)
• Concept note of the national workshop (in French)
• Program
• List of participants
• Ban FGM Campaign
• NPWJ Gender & Human Rights Program activities

For more information, contact Alvilda Jablonko, Coordinator of the Gender and Human Rights Program, on ajablonko@npwj.org, phone: +32 494 533 915 or Nicola Giovannini, email: ngiovannini@npwj.org, phone: +32 2 548 39 15.