Excellencies,
Distinguished delegates,
Esteemed colleagues,
Dear Sima,
Partners and friends,
It is an honour to be here with you to kick off the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence and to draw attention to the urgent issue of digital violence.
Technology has expanded opportunities for countless women and girls around the world and can strengthen our efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence. Yet the same technologies – often created with good intentions – can be used to cause harm.
As digital tools and platforms evolve, so do the tactics of those who seek to misuse them. From image-based abuse to doxxing and cyberstalking, technology-facilitated gender-based violence is far-reaching and the harm can spill into real life, as we heard earlier.
UNFPA has been advancing efforts around the world to better understand and address technology-facilitated gender-based violence, building on the advocacy of digital rights and feminist activists who have been sounding the alarm for decades.
In examining this growing challenge, we know that ending digital violence requires responsible technology design, strong systems of accountability, and an ecosystem of partners working in harmony and pulling in the same direction.
Since 2022, UNFPA’s annual global symposium on technology-facilitated GBV has brought together governments, civil society, technologists, academics and advocates – serving as an incubator for partnership and movement-building.
We also lead the Making All Spaces Safe programme supported by Canada, which strengthens digital literacy, promotes safety-by-design, and encourages positive gender norms in online spaces. This work is integrated within our broader efforts to provide age-appropriate health and life-skills education that equips young people with the knowledge and confidence to make safe, informed choices.
Soon, we will launch the Global Response Hub, which will help ensure that every GBV service provider can access specialist guidance on technology-facilitated GBV. This initiative will redefine what responsive, survivor-centered support looks like worldwide.
UNFPA is also working with the organization Derechos Digitales in Chile to introduce guiding principles for TFGBV law and policy reform – offering policymakers a practical framework for building an effective, rights-based regulatory environment.
As we mark these 16 days, we stand united with all our partners in building a future where all women and girls are empowered – not endangered – by technology.
Let us always keep rights and choices at the centre of women’s agency building. It should always be about rights and choices, not chance. As Mona said, this is the moment to get it right.
At UNFPA, we believe in positive masculinities – let’s make this contagious.
I know that everyone here is eager and deeply committed to finding lasting solutions. Towards that end, I look forward to an insightful and engaging fireside chat.
Je vous remercie.
