Fighting violence against women: TAIEX supported high-level conference takes place in Palestine*

On 5 and 6 December 2017, a TAIEX-supported high-level conference on combating gender-based violence against women and girls takes place in Ramallah, Palestine. Organised by the Office of the European Union Representative in cooperation with the Ministry of Women Affairs of Palestine, the conference brings together more than 80 experts from EU Member States and Palestine. The two-day event is an important contribution to the United Nations' #OrangeTheWorld-campaign launched on the occasion of the International Day on the Elimination of Violence against Women.

Thematically, the conference focuses on the legislative and societal frameworks and challenges in Palestine. Good practice examples will be brought from Hungary, Italy, Lithuania, Portugal and Sweden as well as from the region. Interactive discussions will seek to bolster the cooperation and involvement of key stakeholders to fight gender-based violence. Participants will be invited to draw up recommendations for future actions.

Background:

Violence against Women and Girls is one of the most widespread and devastating Human Rights violations across the globe. It is estimated that 35% of women have experienced violence at some point in their lives. This figure is as high as 70% in some countries. The European Union works tirelessly through all instruments at its disposal to eliminate violence against women and girls, making it a thing of the past. Instruments like the Technical Assistance and Information Exchange Instrument (TAIEX) can prove particularly powerful to build capacity, enhance administrative cooperation and promote peer-to-peer learning between EU countries' public institutions and counterparts in neighbouring regions.

More information: Agenda of the workshop

* This designation shall not be construed as recognition of a State of Palestine and is without prejudice to the individual positions of the Member States on this issue.