UN Women and the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) sign a framework cooperation agreement
Date:
Paris, 21st May — Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women - the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women - with the Secretary-General of Organisation Internationale de La Francophonie (OIF), Abdou Diouf, signed a framework cooperation agreement today aimed at mutually reinforcing the various initiatives and projects to promote women's rights in Francophone countries - especially with regard to the fight to end gender-based violence (GBV).
When signing this Framework agreement, Abdou Diouf, Secretary-General of the OIF, expressed great delight at the possibilities offered as a result of such collaboration: “As part of our overall duty to express solidarity, we need to explore ways and means of giving impetus to and strengthening relations between la Francophonie and such a key player as UN Women. Michelle Bachelet, Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN Women, said: “Women's participation is a crucial element of democracy, peace, and sustainable development. We are delighted to be working together with the OIF in order to bring about real change in the lives of women and young girls.
The cooperation agreement places special emphasis on the following areas: the fight to end gender-based violence; women's participation in political and decision-making processes; advocating for gender equality; and inclusion of the gender equality issues as part of sustainable development.
UN Women is the UN organization dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women was established to accelerate progress on meeting their needs worldwide. UN Women supports UN Member States as they set global standards for achieving gender equality, and works with governments and civil society to design laws, policies, programmes and services needed to implement these standards.
In March 2010, when reviewing the implementation of the Beijing Platform for Action, the OIF's Member States and Member Governments adopted the “Francophone Declaration on gender-based violence, which clearly laid out the principles behind the fight to end all forms of violence against women and young girls - be it in the private or public spheres - and which also put forward a broader definition of gender-based violence, recommendations for the OIF and clear commitments to be undertaken at the national level.
The International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) comprises 56 State and governments as well as 19 observers. For further information, please visit: www.francophonie.org and www.unwomen.org
MEDIA CONTACTS
OIF : Julie Tilman, special assistant to the Secretary-General, Media and Communication
julie.tilman[at]francophonie.org + 33.1.44.11.12.68
ONU Femmes: Hadrien Bonnaud, Media and Communication hadrien.bonnaud[at]unwomen.org
+ 1 917 288 0524