Gender equality and protection from gender-based violence: Opening remarks by the DHC

Good afternoon. I am pleased to welcome you to today’s side event on Gender equality and protection from Gender-based violence. This afternoon’s event promises to be inspiring and a true milestone as we come together from across the globe to make tangible commitments to advance gender equality and strengthen national protection systems Our objective is to see more than 100 states, women-led organizations, women refugee groups and others better protect more than 19 million displaced and stateless women and girls as well as host communities in 20 countries.

I would like to welcome, first and foremost, the esteemed refugee representatives who are joining us today: Foni Vuni [our moderator], Faridah Luanda, Shaza Alrihawi, Mary Tal, and Maggy Barankiste. We are here to follow your lead and direction, to drive collaboration with local and community-based initiatives that deliver life-saving support for survivors of gender-based violence and advance gender equality in displacement contexts. Thank you for joining us and taking part in today’ event and the forum.

I am also joined by Annalena Baerbock, Federal Minister for Foreign Affairs for Germany, in her Government’s role as the Lead of the 100+members of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-based Violence (CtA), the sponsor of this multistakeholder pledge, with support of the CtA+ pledge facilitation cell, including the UK, Australia, Chile, refugee women experts, and the Action Network on Forced Displacement. We welcome Andrew Mitchell, UK Minister of State, Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office, who will deliver closing remarks. We also welcome all Ministers and government representatives present with us today, [including France and Moldova who will join a panel discussion shortly], and particularly those representing host countries. Your pledges today and their implementation in the coming months and years will keep momentum going. We also thank representatives of UN agencies, NGOs, the private sector and academia for your very valuable contributions and collaboration.

By the barometer of the UN Sustainable Development Goals, the world’s progress in achieving gender equality is exceedingly slow and uneven. Data gathering to review progress on the SDGs suggests that, at the current rate, it will take 300 years to end child marriage, and 286 years to close gaps in legal protection and to remove discriminatory laws.¹

The majority of the world’s refugees – half of whom are women and girls – are fleeing into countries that already face socio-political or economic challenges. Many nations facing conflict and humanitarian crisis are also on the frontline of the climate crisis.

In a context of rising humanitarian needs and widening funding gaps for gender-based violence prevention and response, GBV is one of the top reported protection risks, but it’s also among the least funded sectors. Our gathering today confronts this persistent problem and brings together stakeholders who are leading on innovative and transformative approaches to strengthen refugee inclusion, partner with women refugee-led organizations, support self-reliance and provide protection. For example, by:

• Supporting a core, joint pledge on ''Building the Foundations for Successful Inclusion in National Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Systems'' to provide solutions for the safe and dignified access of forcibly displaced and stateless people, in particular women and girls, to quality GBV prevention interventions and response services in national systems, through guidance, longer-term plans and capacity development.
• Investing in localized responses driven by refugee women's and girls’ leadership. Last year, UNHCR partnered with over 200 international, national, and local actors to provide specialized GBV prevention and response programming. Of over $57 million provided to partners, $29 million supported 155 national and local NGOs, including community-based organizations. Direct roles in leadership and management structures, such as camp management committees or refugee-led initiatives, empowers women and girls, builds trust in the community, and provides opportunities. Globally, 229 women-led organizations were part of or were co-chairing GBV coordination mechanisms in refugee settings in 2022, a 63% increase over 2021. This is good, but together, through joint pledges and coordinated approaches, we can do much better: at least 15 million USD will be invested additionally in women-led organizations working in displacement settings through 2023 GRF contributions and we hope that this number will further increase.
• Mainstreaming gender and GBV risk mitigation across all pledges leads to enhanced access to education, health, economic inclusion, climate resilience, resettlement and complementary pathways, and solutions for 55million displaced and stateless women and girls as well as host communities.

Your presence here today is an expression of solidarity with survivors of gender-based violence, a reaffirmation that we will do all we can to prevent GBV from happening in the first place, and a call to promote the rights and dignity of all displaced women and girls. Let’s make it count. The refugee experts who have joined us today have not let conflict, persecution, and displacement stop their pursuit of peace and gender equality – we must match their dedication, advancing on the Global Compact on Refugees' call to support States which host large refugee populations, for example by matching pledges or joint pledges, today and in the future.

Thank you. I welcome Minister Baerbock to the podium for her opening remarks.