The official launch of the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence was held at the Queen Tamar Hall at the Parliament of Georgia on November 25 2009, organized by UNFPA Georgia implemented project “Combating Gender-Based Violence in the South Caucasus” in cooperation with the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Gender Equality.
Vice Speaker of the Parliament of Georgia and the Chair of the Gender Equality Advisory Council H.E. Ms. Rusudan Kervalishvili and UNFPA Assistant Representative Ms. Tamar Khomasuridze opened the event announcing the launch of the 16 days of activism and calling for enhanced efforts and coordination in elimination of gender-based violence in Georgia. The Vice-Speaker emphasized the role of the donor organizations and local NGOs in combating GBV/DV and confirmed political readiness on the side of the legislature and the government to address the problem on a nation-wide scale.
Within the framework of the event, a declaration on "Elimination of Violence against Women” was adopted. The declaration was presented to the audience by Ambassador of France to Georgia H.E. Eric Fournier. The signatories of the Declaration, joined the new network of men leaders headed by the United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, established on November 24th, 2009 within the framework of the United Nations UNiTE campaign to end violence against women and girls. The declaration of elaborated by the GBV-SC Georgia and will be circulated for collecting signatures of support nation-wide during the 16 days of activism.
The event was attended by the members of the Parliament of Georgia, representatives of government, diplomatic corps, UN agencies, international and local organizations and media. All male attendees wore a white ribbon - a symbol of personal pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls especially prepared by the GBV-SC Georgia
16 days of Activism against Gender Based Violence is an international campaign observed annually worldwide from November 25th to December 10th. The campaign aims at elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence, strengthening efforts around women’s rights and demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world. Since 1991 over 2,000 organizations in approximately 154 countries have participated in the campaign.
This year, the 16 Days of Activism in Georgia is coordinated by UNFPA implemented project “Combating Gender-Based Violence in the South Caucasus” in collaboration with governmental and non-governmental organizations and further supported by the Parliamentary Advisory Council on Gender Equality. Within the framework of the campaign, over 50 activities are planned to be held by different international and non-governmental organizations covering different parts of Georgia, including Tbilisi.
