Towards Beijing +30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls - 16 days Commemoration 2024

H.E. Mme. Na Yanfang, Member of the Secretariat of All China Women’s Federation, 

Ms. Smriti Aryal, Country Representative of UN Women China office, 

Distinguished guests,  

Dear friends,  

Ladies, and gentlemen, 

On behalf of the United Nations Country Team in China, it is my pleasure to warmly welcome all of you to the Commemoration Event of 16-days of Activism on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls organized by UN Women as the Chair of UN Gender Theme Group.  

The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence against women and girls is an international civil society led campaign that takes place each year and commences today, on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and ends on 10 December, Human Rights Day, emphasizing that violence against women is the most pervasive breach of human rights globally. 

As we approach 2025, a landmark year that will mark both the 30th anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women and the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (Beijing+30), along with the 10th anniversary of the adoption of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals, the importance of this commemoration event has never been more pronounced.  

The theme for this year’s 16 days campaign, “Towards Beijing +30: UNiTE to End Violence Against Women and Girls”, calls on us to renew our collective commitment to eliminate gender-based violence, to reinforce the foundation of solidarity, and to reaffirm our responsibility to create a world where every woman and girl can live free from fear, harm, and discrimination. 

We have witnessed significant progress across the world with the adoption of laws and policies to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls. As of 2023, 104 countries have comprehensive laws addressing domestic violence, including China. In China, the Anti-Domestic Violence law was enacted in 2016, along with the compilation of Civil Code, amendments to the Criminal Law and the Law on the Protection of Rights and Interests of Women in recent years, underlining the efforts of all sectors in preventing and ending violence against women.  

At the same time, considerable work remains to translate de jure rights into de facto equality, and gender-based violence against women and girls remains an alarming fact globally:  

• Globally, over 230 million girls and women have undergone female genital mutilation, representing a 15% increase—or 30 million more girls and women—compared to data from eight years ago. 
• The number of women and girls killed intentionally in 2022 – nearly 89,000 – was the highest number recorded in the past 20 years. 
• Close to 1 in 4 women in the Asia Pacific region has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner and 88% are estimated to experience violence online. 

With less than six years remaining to achieve the 2030 Agenda, global challenges such as geopolitical conflicts, economic downturns, climate change and rising inequalities threaten to undermine the progress we have made and intensify the obstacles we must overcome. 

As we reach the Beijing +30 milestone, we have a unique opportunity to renew our commitment, galvanize political will, and mobilize public support to redouble the efforts towards gender equality and all other SDGs. This means ensuring that the needs of all women and girls, regardless of their background, are met with tailored, survivor-centered approaches. This means placing the Leave No One Behind principle and human-centered approaches at the heart of the design, implementation, and monitoring strategies to prevent and respond to violence against women and girls.  

This is where the value of the UN can make a difference: aligning frontline actions with international norms and standards, while fostering dialogue and strengthening multi-sectoral cooperation. By doing so, we can challenge harmful stereotypes, promote equality, and cultivate a culture of respect and dignity for all. 

As we come together in this campaign, let us remember that ending violence against women and girls is not just a moral imperative—it is a necessity for achieving sustainable development and building peaceful, just, and inclusive societies for all.  

Let us unite in action, in purpose, and in hope, as we work together to build a world where violence against women and girls is no longer tolerated, and where women’s rights are fully realized. 

Thank you.