UN Foundation to donate $1 for every signature
to UNIFEM
online campaign
WASHINGTON DC / New York
(January 22, 2008) - The United Nations Foundation
announced today its support for the “Say
NO to Violence against Women” campaign.
The Foundation will donate $1 for each the first
100,000 signatures to the online campaign that
is run by the UN Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM.
The contributions will go to the UNIFEM-managed
UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.
“Recent UN research has demonstrated the
shameful scope of violence against women around
the world, where one in three women are subject
to some form of coercion or abuse in their lifetimes,”
said Timothy E. Wirth, President of the United
Nations Foundation. “To turn the tide on
violence, the international community must work
together to stand up for the human rights of women
and that’s what UNIFEM’s “Say
NO” campaign does. It allows people everywhere
to go on record and stand up for a world free
of violence against women.”
“Thanks to this fantastic challenge grant,
every signature will bolster our cause to make
ending violence against women worldwide a top
priority”, said UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador
Nicole Kidman who champions the campaign. What’s
more, it will help provide critical resources
for local initiatives that are supported through
the UN Trust Fund to End Violence against Women
– whether it is working to prevent human
trafficking, assisting survivors of domestic violence
or helping implement laws against rape.”
“The more people join, the stronger the
message that there is an ever-growing movement
of people who are demanding decisive action to
put a stop to what is probably the most pervasive
human rights violation”, added acting UNIFEM
Executive Director Joanne Sandler. “This
generous donation will provide an additional strong
incentive for people to sign up to the campaign.”
The “Say No to Violence against Women”
campaign was launched November 26, 2007. To date
more than 18,000 people worldwide have signed
the call that urges an end to violence against
women and encourages support to the UN Trust Fund
to End Violence against Women. This Trust Fund,
managed by UNIFEM for the UN system, supports
innovative initiatives by governments and non-governmental
organizations to end violence against women. Since
its establishment in 1996, it has helped fund
some 250 initiatives in 120 countries.
"Each day, each hour, each minute, a woman
in the world is a victim of violence," said
Wirth. "Taking this simple step, signing
on to the campaign, sends the message that enough
is enough and the cycle of violence must stop
now."
About
UNIFEM
UNIFEM is the women’s fund at the United
Nations. It provides financial and technical assistance
to innovative programmes and strategies to foster
women’s empowerment and gender equality.
Placing the advancement of women’s human
rights at the centre of all of its efforts, UNIFEM
focuses its activities on reducing feminized poverty;
ending violence against women; reversing the spread
of HIV/AIDS among women and girls; and achieving
gender equality in democratic governance in times
of peace as well as war. More information: www.unifem.org
About the United
Nations Foundation The UN Foundation was created in 1998
with entrepreneur and philanthropist Ted Turner’s
historic $1 billion gift to support UN causes
and activities. The UN Foundation builds and implements
public-private partnerships to address the world’s
most pressing problems and also works to broaden
support for the UN through advocacy and public
outreach. The UN Foundation is a public charity.
For a complete listing of UN Foundation grants
and programs or to learn more about the United
Nations Foundation, visit www.unfoundation.org.
