Migiro to deliver keynote address at Rome meeting on violence against women

Deputy Secretary-General Asha-Rose Migiro will travel to Rome on Monday to deliver the keynote address at a ministerial-level international conference on violence against women being held under the auspices of the Italian presidency of the Group of Eight (G8).

Ms. Migiro will speak about the UN’s work to end violence against women and girls, UN spokesperson Marie Okabe told reporters in New York.

In addition, she will highlight Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE Campaign, which calls on world leaders to launch national campaigns aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls in all parts of the world.

In a speech to European justice ministers gathered in Norway in June, Ms. Migiro pledged the support of the UN in ending violence against women, which she said will require adopting new laws, enforcing the ones that exist and working to change the backward mindsets that contribute to this scourge.

“But if the challenge of ending violence against women remains monumental, it is at least no longer a lonely task,” she added. “More and more leaders around the world are joining the struggle. More and more individuals understand that any abuse of any woman is intolerable.”

During her visit to Rome, Ms. Migiro will hold bilateral meetings with the Italian Foreign Minister and Italy’s Minister for Equal Opportunity, as well as travel to the Vatican to meet with Pope Benedict XVI.

She will also meet with staff from the Rome-based UN agencies, including the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), the World Food Programme (WFP), and the International Fund for Agricultural Development (IFAD).