Staff Writer
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mr Edward Kallon has called on Zimbabweans to unite to combat all forms of violence and address their underlying causes.
Speaking at the National Launch of the 16 Days Activism Against Gender Based Violence, Mr Kallon said any form of violence against women and girls is a stain on our humanity.
“I urge all stakeholders to recognize what works and allocate resources accordingly. It is time we acknowledge that any form of violence against women and girls is a stain on our humanity. It hampers peace, security, and sustainable development,” he said.
“By embracing an integrated approach, harnessing technology, and innovation, mobilizing financing, and strengthening collaboration and coordination, we can pave the way for gender equality. Let us ensure that all members of society, particularly women and girls representing over 50% of the population, have an equal footing, voice, choice, agency, and role in society, commensurate with their male counterparts.”
He said the UN Country Team in Zimbabwe, along with our various entities coordinated by his office and technically led by UN Women, would focus on supporting the Government of Zimbabwe and your Ministry in four key actions: driving shifts in policy and regulatory frameworks, facilitating the development of bankable projects, attracting financing from various sources, and providing capacity-building support to public institutions and civil society.
- He invited everyone to be an ally in preventing VAWG by taking a stand publicly and engaging in activities and events that raise public awareness of VAWG in their communities.
- Advocacy to mobilize more national budgets for investments in preventing violence against Women and Girls.
- Advocacy for increasing ODA towards prevention of VAW in line with national priorities and support policy formulation if feasible.
- Call for greater support, increased long-term sustainable investments from private sector, foundations and other partners.
- Advocacy for private and public sector investments on workplace policies and measures that ensures women’s economic security and safety.
Some countries estimate that gender-based violence incurs an economic impact of about 3.7% of GDP, yet investment in addressing this issue remains as low as 0.2% of overall aid in 2022.
The UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 campaign to End Violence against Women, led by Secretary-General António Guterres, aims to raise awareness, advocate for change, and share knowledge and innovations to eliminate violence against women and girls.
This year’s campaign carries the theme “UNITE!
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