National Workshop in Djibouti in support of the Ban FGM Campaign

The National Union of Women of Djibouti (UNFD) and the Ministry of Women’s Affairs of Djibouti, in partnership with No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ) and the Ban FGM Coalition, convened a national event in support of the international campaign for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation, which was held in Djibouti, on 15 April 2012.
 
The meeting brought together representatives from the relevant government ministries (Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry for the Advancement of Women, Ministry of Health and Ministry of Justice), parliamentarians, civil society activists as well as representatives of international and regional organizations. The Conference provided an opportunity to consolidate the full-fledged involvement and commitment of Djibouti political authorities in favor of the adoption by the United Nations General Assembly of a resolution explicitly banning FGM as a violation of human rights of women and girls.
 
Further to the historic African Head of States’ Decision adopted in July 2011 at the African Union Summit in Malabo, Equatorial Guinea, the leadership and the determination of the African Group at the UN contributed to achieve a common and harmonised approach of all African states in support of a UNGA Worldwide ban on FGM. The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) decision, adopted in March 2012 at its 56th session, signaled a further landmark step in the international campaign to foster global leadership in the fight against female genital mutilation not only in Africa but in the numerous affected countries around the world.
 
No Peace Without Justice and the Ban FGM Coalition look forward all States to demonstrate their commitment to human rights and, particularly, the human rights of women, by taking an unequivocal and joint stance in favor of the adoption this year by the United Nations General Assembly of a Resolution banning FGM worldwide.
 
Documentation of the event:
Speech of H.E. Ali Yacoub Mahmoud, Minister of Health (in French)
Speech of the Minister for Women's Affairs of Djibouti (in French)
Speech of Safia Djibril, Member of the Parliament and Questeur (in French)
Intervention by Ilwad Elmi, NPWJ Program Officer (in French)
Program (in French)
Concept Note (in French)
 
Ban FGM Campaign
Over the past years, the members of the Ban FGM Coalition have collaborated on several initiatives to raise awareness internationally about the need for a UNGA Resolution banning this human rights violation, gathering the support of human rights activists, women’s organizations, parliamentarians and government representatives from throughout Africa and Europe. 
On 27 February, at the 56th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women (CSW), a high-level parallel event convened by the Ban FGM Coalition provided further substantial confirmation of the strong commitment by African States to support the process now underway. The meeting, opened by Executive Director of UN Women Michelle Bachelet, had as its keynote speaker H.E. Mrs Chantal Compaoré, and included speeches by seven Ministers (Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, Italy, Niger, Togo, Tunisia).
 
For more information, contact Ilwad Elmi, Program Officer of the FGM Program, on ielmi@npwj.org or Nicola Giovannini, email: ngiovannini@npwj.org, phone: +32 2 548 39 15.