UNiTE

"All of us – men and women, soldiers and peacekeepers, citizens and leaders – have a responsibility to help end violence against women. States must honour their commitments to prevent violence, bring perpetrators to justice and provide redress to victims. And each of us must speak out in our families, workplaces and communities, so that acts of violence against cease."

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon - 25 November 2008

Text from UNiTE's website:

The campaign which runs from 2008 - 2015, will mobilise public opinion to ensure that policy makers at the highest level work to prevent and eradicate violence against women. A key target will be to secure political will and increased resources from governments, international institutions, United Nations entities, the private sector and other donors for policies and programmes to tackle the problem.

The Secretary-General is calling on world leaders, men and women, to lead national campaigns to end violence against women.

The growing commitment of men to prevent and combat violence against women will be
leveraged, with the campaign welcoming the active involvement of men and boys. The Secretary-General's campaign focuses on three key areas:

• Global advocacy
• UN leadership and
• Strengthened efforts and partnerships at the national, regional and international levels.

The end date for the campaign of 2015 - the same as that of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - reflects that violence against women restricts the active involvement of women in development. This is a serious obstacle to the achievement of all internationally agreed development goals, including the MDGs.

For more information on this initiative by the Secretary-General, visit the website