Home

High-Level Event

News & Highlights

Photos

Videos

Government Supporters

Supporting Organizations

Facts & Figures

Resources

UN Trust Fund

You Can Help

News

Campaign Highlights

US Secretary of State Condoleezza RiceCondi Rice Says NO to Violence against Women
US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice signed on to the Say NO campaign on 18 November 2008. In her statement, she said: “Violence against women remains a fact of life in countries worldwide. Like poverty, HIV/AIDS, poor maternal health, and lack of access to education, violence against women is an ill that affects the person, her community, and her nation. As the campaign to ‘Say No to Violence against Women’ enters its second year, we should dedicate ourselves to creating awareness among individuals and communities of the great damage violence against women inflicts, and commit ourselves to end this atrocity.”

Rock al Parque 2008, ColombiaMore than 21,000 Say NO to Violence against Women at Rock Festival in Colombia
At the largest-ever music festival in Latin America, Rock al Parque 2008, more than 160 volunteers collected 21,213 signatures for UNIFEM’s Say NO to Violence against Women campaign. This is the first time that a UN agency has participated in this famous annual event, which attracted more than 300,000 mostly young people over a period of three days, 1–3 November 2008. UNIFEM promoted the Say NO campaign and distributed more than 50,000 pamphlets with information for women and girls on “where to go and what to do” in the event that they suffer violence. A UNIFEM-produced video was shown on the giant screens, and audio public service announcements were made repeatedly between performances over the three days.

Ibero-American Leaders Unite Behind Call to End Violence against WomenIbero-American Leaders Unite Behind Call to End Violence against Women
Heads of State of 17 Ibero-American countries signed on to UNIFEM's Say NO to Violence against Women campaign at the XVIII Ibero-American Summit, held in San Salvador, 29-31 October 2008. “This unprecedented show of resolve at the highest level demonstrates that Governments are determined to take decisive action,” said UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi. “It takes laws to end impunity; resources to provide protection and services to survivors. Yet above all, it takes political will and leadership, and this is what we have seen in San Salvador.” At the invitation of Enrique Iglesias, Secretary-General of the Ibero-American Secretariat, the following Heads of State added their names: Cristina Fernández, Argentina; Albert Pintat Santolària, Andorra; Evo Morales, Bolivia; Michelle Bachelet, Chile; Álvaro Uribe, Colombia; Oscar Arias, Costa Rica; Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyes, Dominican Republic; Rafael Correa, Ecuador; Elías Antonio Saca, El Salvador; Álvaro Colom, Guatemala; Manuel Zelaya, Honduras; Felipe Calderón, Mexico; Martín Torrijos, Panama; Alan García, Peru; José Sócrates, Portugal; and José Luis Rodríguez Zapatero, Spain. President Hugo Chávez of Venezuela had signed on earlier in the week.

Coordinating Committee of Women Parliamentarians, IPUParliaments of the World Say NO to Violence against Women
The new President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU), Dr. Theo-Ben Gurirab, added his name to UNIFEM’s Say NO to Violence against Women campaign during the 119th IPU Assembly held in Geneva on 13–15 October 2008, along with more than 200 members of parliament and parliamentary staff from more than 70 countries, as they pledged to make ending violence against women a national and international priority. “Violence against women remains a major issue on the international human rights and parliamentary agenda,” said President Gurirab, who is also the Speaker of the National Assembly of Namibia. “We all have to be committed and mobilized against this unacceptable reality which needs to be addressed as a matter of urgency by the political leaders of the world. Together — men and women — we can make sure that putting an end to this tragedy becomes a priority.”

Religions for PeaceReligious Leaders Say NO to Violence against Women
Senior religious leaders from Religions for Peace, the world’s largest and most representative multi-religious coalition, pledged to help stop violence against women and added their names to UNIFEM's Say NO campaign at an inaugural meeting with UNIFEM on 25 September 2008 in New York. The event also marked the launch of a new partnership between Religions for Peace and UNIFEM that will work to engage communities of faith around the world to lead efforts to end violence against women.

Norwegian Government Officials Say NOScandinavian Countries Sign on to Campaign during Visit of UNIFEM Executive Director
Norway, Sweden and Finland lent their support to the Say NO campaign during a mission of UNIFEM Executive Director Inés Alberdi to the Scandinavian countries. In Oslo on 9 September, the Norwegian Government offered its full support to UNIFEM’s work on ending violence against women and Erik Solheim, the Minister of Environment and International Development, and Anniken Huitfeldt (2nd and 3rd from left), the Minister for Children and Equality, added their signatures. In Stockholm the following day, the Swedish Minister for International Cooperation, Gunilla Carlsson, and the Minister for Integration and Equality, Nyamko Sabuni, signed the campaign on behalf of the Swedish Government. The President of Finland, Tarja Halonen, received Executive Director Alberdi at the Presidential Palace in Helsinki on 11 September and added her name to the campaign. In addition, Prime Minister Matti Vanhanen, a number of Cabinet Ministers, church leaders, labor union leaders and representatives of employers’ organizations have given their signatures, as part of an effort organized by the Finnish National Committee of UNIFEM.

HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of ThailandPrincess Bajrakitiyabha Becomes UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador and Leads Say NO Campaign in Thailand
Her Royal Highness Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand signed on to the campaign on 5 September. The event marked her designation as UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador in Thailand and the launch of a national Say NO campaign. As Goodwill Ambassador, Princess Bajrakitiyabha will work with the UNIFEM Office in Bangkok to raise awareness of the scourge of violence against women and promote efforts to end it.

Over 80 Ministers, Ambassadors and Experts Sign on
Eighty-one high-ranking African government officials from 42 African countries, signed the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign at the joint AU/UNECA Conference of Ministers of Gender and Women’s Affairs, held in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, on 25–29 August. Signatories included the Ministers responsible for women’s affairs from Burkina Faso, Celine Yoda Konkobo; Liberia, Annett Kiawu; Morocco, Nouzha Skalli; and Namibia, Marlene Mungunda.
        In the same week, Bert Koenders, the Minister of Development Cooperation at the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and Deputy Prime Minister Hensley Daniel of Nevis Island also added their names to the campaign, as an expression of their respective governments’ resolve to help end violence against women.

Tanzanian National Assembly Says NOTanzanian National Assembly Becomes First Parliamentary Body to Offer Full Support
Following the example of President Jakaya Mrisho Kikwete, Prime Minister Mizengo Pinda led the Tanzanian National Assembly in signing on to UNIFEM's Say NO campaign at a ceremony on 22 July, attended by UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha Rose Migiro. The Speaker of the National Assembly, Samwel Sitta, the leader of the opposition, Hamad Rashid Mohamed, and all other MPs assembled followed the Prime Minister's lead, making the Tanzanian National Assembly the first parliamentary body in the world to offer its full support to the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign. President Kikwete signed the campaign on 24 May, to demonstrate his Government’s commitment to making ending violence against women a priority. He led over two thousand people from government ministries and institutions, universities, women’s organizations, unions and development partners in signing on to the campaign.

UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole KidmanUNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman Leads UN Officials’ Call for Campaign
UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman called for millions of people to raise their voices against violence against women at the United Nations on 22 April 2008. "I know that there are millions around the world who care deeply about the issue—and I urge all of them to come on board," said the Academy Award-winning actress at a press conference at the United Nations that also included UN Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro, UNIFEM acting Executive Director Joanne Sandler, and Tim Wirth, President of the United Nations Foundation.

Over 125,000 Chinese Show Support for Campaign, Help Raise $100,000 to End Violence
The China Law Society and NetEase — one of the largest Internet service providers in China — created a Chinese version of the Say NO to Violence against Women campaign website. Over 125,000 Chinese signatures were handed over to UNIFEM on 6 March, helping to reach its target of 100,000 signatures needed as part of a challenge grant from the UN Foundation, which brought $100,000 to the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

Senegalese Minister Awa NdiayeGovernment of Senegal the First to Sign on to Say NO Campaign
The Government of Senegal was the first government to sign on to UNIFEM’s Say NO to Violence against Women campaign in early 2008. Awa Ndiaye, the Senegalese Minister of the Family, Women’s Entrepreneurship and Microfinance, delivered the signatures of Senegal’s President, Abdoulaye Wade, Prime Minister Cheikh Hadjibou Soumare, and 23 Government Ministers to UNIFEM Headquarters on 4 March.

Catherine Deneuve, Hillary Swank, Sir Bob Geldof Show Their Support
Internationally acclaimed artists, social activists and politicians, including Catherine Deneuve, Hillary Swank, Christopher Lee, Sir Bob Geldof and German Development Minister Heidemarie Wieczorek-Zeul, added their names to the Say NO campaign at the Cinema for Peace annual gala event on 11 February in Berlin, Germany. Hundreds of other attendees followed suit. The gala, held to coincide with the International Film Festival in Berlin, raised more than US$100,000 for the UNIFEM-managed UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.

Celebrities Say NO to Violence against Women at Cinema for Peace Gala in Berlin, 11 February 2008. Click to view photo album.