The Role and Responsibility of Men and Boys in Eliminating Gender-Based Violence

On the occasion of the 66th session of the Commission on the Status of Women, the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls held a conversation with gender equality leaders on inclusive approaches to engaging men and boys in efforts to eliminate gender-based violence.
The event features: António Guterres, Secretary-General of the United Nations, Jutta Urpilainen, EU Commissioner for International Partnership, Ambassador Olof Skoog, Head of the EU Delegation, Egriselda Gonzales Lopez, Permanent Representative of El Salvador, Natalia Kanem, Executive Director of United Nations Population Fund, Ambassador Collen Vixen Kelapile, Permanent Representative of Botswana to the United Nations in New York
Special guest: Siya Kolisi, UN Global Advocate for Spotlight Initiative and captain of the South African National Rugby Team
Moderated by Melissa Fleming, UN USG for Strategic Communications
The Group of Friends was established in December 2020 to promote the implementation of the UN Secretary-General’s global appeal to end violence, including in homes, during COVID-19. It creates a platform to share lessons learned on efforts to eliminate all forms of gender-based violence, to improve cooperation on this issue as well as to support advocacy initiatives and the mobilisation of additional resources. The Group, to date, includes 94 Member and Observer States from all regional groups