On 22-25 October 2013, the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (UNICEF), are convening in Rome, Italy, an international conference to consolidate global political commitment and plan specific strategies at national, regional and international level to end female genital mutilation and related discriminatory practices, in accordance with the resolution calling for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation (A/RES/67/146), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly on 20 December 2012.
This high level meeting, entitled “Action to achieve commitments in UNGA Resolution 67/146. Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilations”, is held in the context of the UNFPA-UNICEF Joint Programme on Accelerating Abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation/Cutting. No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) is among the keynote speakers, who will include also other key-players in the process that led to the adoption of the Resolution: Ms. Chantal Compaoré, First Lady of Burkina Faso and Ms. Emma Bonino, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs and founder of NPWJ.
Statement by Alvilda Jablonko, FGM Program Coordinator of No Peace Without Justice:
“The meeting which opens today, involving high-level representatives from governments, U.N. Agencies and civil society, provides an important opportunity to strategise and further recommit ourselves to ensure that Resolution 67/146 realises its full potential as a concrete tool to ban female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide.
“This breakthrough document, whose adoption is the culmination of years of advocacy efforts conducted by an ever-expanding coalition of NGOs and human rights activists including No Peace Without Justice, explicitly calls the international community as well as individual states to take effective action to address and prevent this human rights violation through “all necessary measures, including enacting and enforcing legislation to prohibit FGM and to protect women and girls from this form of violence, and to end impunity”.
“It is now crucial to ensure the full and swift compliance with and implementation of its provisions and principles at the national, regional and global levels. We also wish to remind all stakeholders: governments, U.N. Agencies and civil society, that in the fight against FGM it is fundamental to adopt a holistic and harmonised approach, founded on the understanding that FGM is a violation of human rights which must be addressed through the enactment of a comprehensive legislative framework, and which cuts across national boundaries and geographical regions.
“Only united we can win this struggle and free ourselves of this scourge; donate hope to women and girls around the world and ensure that the Rule of Law and human rights are respected and defended.”
Documentation:
- “Moving Forward Statement“, adopted at the High-Level Segment of the Conference
- Concept note of the event
- Further information about the International Conference is available here
- Ban FGM Campaign
- Read the UN Resolution in: English, French
Date and venue
Rome, Italy on 22-25 October 2013
Fondazione Musica per Roma, Auditorium Parco della Musica
Viale Pietro de Coubertin, 10 00196 Roma
Day 1: 22 October – Conference Centre Auditorium
Days 2-4: 23-25 October – Working Meeting Rooms – Conference Centre
For more information, contact Alvilda Jablonko, Coordinator of the FGM Program, on ajablonko@npwj.org / phone: +32 494 533 915 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 (0)2 548-39 15.
