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Excellences,

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am honoured to deliver these opening remarks at this important event.

Our gathering today revolves around a tragic reality. Sexual and gender-based violence continues to plague our world, particularly in the context of armed conflicts and emergencies driven by extreme weather events. This pervasive crime inflicts immeasurable harm on women and girls – but also men and boys – and is used as deliberate weapon of war.

Behind each case lies a survivor, whose life has been shattered, with profound impacts on families and entire communities. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that survivors are not left behind, that their voices are heard, and their rights are upheld. Survivors should be provided the services and support they need, perpetrators should be held accountable, and everyone should be protected from becoming a victim of sexual and gender-based violence in the first place.

The European Union is at the forefront of efforts to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls, including harmful practices like female genital mutilation and child marriage, and to promote sexual and reproductive health and rights.

We translated our deep commitment into the unprecedented funding of 500M EUR for the Spotlight Initiative. Africa is at the heart of the initiative, with half the money benefitting eight country programmes and one regional programme.

The Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme is a major EU-UN-AU partnership launched back in 2020, and translating multilateralism into action in order to eliminate violence against women and girls by 2030.

The AU Commission has been an instrumental partner for the establishment at continental and national levels of legal frameworks and responsive institutions that better protect women and girls. Together, we have also supported the collection of qualitative data in order to facilitate evidence-based decision-making, and joined forces with communities, traditional and religious leaders, and civil society organisations working to raise awareness and prevent violence.

Working with the AU Commission is paramount to ensure the AU Member States receive the support they need from the macro level to comply with their commitments, and are held accountable.

While the Global Spotlight Initiative ends in December 2023, it is time to recognise the achievements of the Africa Regional Programme. We must sustain the considerable gains that we have made.

As we celebrate this week the 20^th Anniversary of the Maputo Protocol, the European Union encourages AU Member States and Development Partners to consolidate and build upon Spotlight Initiative results. We call on you to actively collaborate with the African Union to amplify our impact, and ensure respect of women and girls’ rights.

From the EU, we remain committed to supporting the prevention, mitigation and response to gender based violence in humanitarian and emergency settings. This year, the EU dedicated 41 million euros for humanitarian action on the global level in this area, and we continue support responses also in specific contexts.  

In this endeavour, I am also proud to say that the EU is a founding members and remain a staunch supporters of the Call to Action on Protection from Gender-Based Violence.  

And finally, the issue of sexual and gender based violence needs champions to bring it into the mainstream of our humanitarian, political and development work. This is a task not only for women, but also for men.

Thank you, I look forward to the discussion ahead.