UNIS/SGSM/1365
22 November 2023
Violence against women is a horrific violation of human rights, a public health crisis, and a major obstacle to sustainable development.
It is persistent, widespread – and worsening.
From sexual harassment and abuse to femicide – the violence takes many forms.
But all are rooted in structural injustice, cemented by millennia of patriarchy.
We still live in a male-dominated culture that leaves women vulnerable by denying them equality in dignity and rights.
We all pay the price: our societies are less peaceful, our economies less prosperous, our world less just.
But a different world is possible.
This year’s theme of the UNiTE campaign – “Invest to Prevent Violence against Women & Girls” – calls on all of us to take action.
Support legislation and comprehensive policies that strengthen the protection of women’s rights across the board.
Ramp up investments in prevention and support to women’s rights organization.
Listen to survivors and end impunity for perpetrators everywhere.
Stand with women activists and promote women’s leadership at every stage of decision-making.
Together, let us stand up and speak out. Let’s build a world that refuses to tolerate violence against women anywhere, in any form, once and for all.
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"When the doors of equal opportunity are open for women and girls, everyone wins. Equal societies are more prosperous and peaceful – and the foundation of sustainable development." — António Guterres
Panama signed the United Nations Convention on the International Effects of Judicial Sales of Ships (the "Beijing Convention on the Judicial Sale of Ships") at the United Nations Headquarters in New York on 4 March 2025.
The Zero Project Conference 2025, hosted at the United Nations in Vienna for the thirteenth time, will highlight cutting-edge innovations in employment and information and communication technology (ICT) for people with disabilities.
"Humanity's future depends on investing in the machinery of peace, not the machinery of war." — António Guterres
