During the course of this week (10-13 June), the British Government will host in London a Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. This is our biggest and most important international event for some time, and is the culmination of two years of hard work with international partners. We want Governments, civil society and ordinary citizens across the globe to sit up, tune in and take note.
Ministerial meetings will take place, with the active participation of NGOs and civil society. Alongside them, there will be three days of free events open to the public in the Summit Fringe. Events will include film showings, performances, exhibitions and panel discussions.
Across the three days of the Summit, British Embassies around the world will be streaming events to bring about continuous global coverage. On Wednesday morning, I shall be hosting at the British Residence an event with experts drawn from think-tanks, academia and government. Please watch out for our publicity on our press, Facebook and Twitter sites.
Our current efforts to end sexual violence in conflict commenced two years ago, when the British Foreign Secretary announced a major British initiative. He said:
“I am appalled by the scale of sexual violence against women, men and children in situations of conflict and repression – ranging from opportunistic acts of brutality to deliberate torture and systematic campaigns of ethnic cleansing.
“It is my firm conviction that tackling sexual violence is central to conflict prevention and peace-building worldwide. It must be as prominent in foreign policy as it is in development policy, for the two cannot be separated.”
In launching the initiative, the Foreign Secretary announced the creation of a new UK team of experts devoted to combating and preventing sexual violence in armed conflict.
In addition, the UK used its Presidency of the G8 in 2013 to rally sustained international action. This culminated in the launch at the UN in September last year of the Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict. Over two-thirds of UN members have now signed the Declaration, including, of course, the Hellenic Republic.
We want the summit to create irreversible movement towards ending rape and sexual violence in conflict, and expect it to achieve a set of practical agreements that bring together and focus the efforts of countries in conflict and those affected by prior conflict, donors, the UN and other multilateral organisations, NGOs and civil society.
Our ambitious programme for change includes the launch of a new International Protocol on the Investigation and Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict. Central to all of our efforts is the provision of support to grassroots organisations and human rights defenders, and to survivors themselves.
We want to get the very widest publicity and support for this initiative. There are many different types of material on line, including a very powerful video on https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1QFUD2Q6D8k. I hope that readers of my blog, whether Greek, British or of other nationality, will take a look at what is on offer and find ways of registering support, e.g. by tweeting messages of support and solidarity on our Twitter accounts. It is, without doubt, Time to Act.
The Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict can be found at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/a-declaration-of-commitment-to-end-sexual-violence-in-conflict
Full details of the Summit can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/topical-events/sexual-violence-in-conflict.
The full programme for the Summit Fringe is available at: http://esvcsummit.com/publicprogramme.