High Level Conference in Burkina Faso to foster Worldwide Ban on Female Genital Mutilation and Child Marriages

Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, 26 April 2014


 
 
On 24-26 April 2014, an international conference was convened in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, to discuss measures aimed at fostering the implementation of the resolution calling for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation (A/RES/67/146), adopted by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on 20 December 2012. The Conference also focused on addressing strategies and concrete actions to strengthen the fight against child marriage, a practice which challenges the promotion and protection of women and girls’ human rights.
 
The meeting, entitled “Strengthening the bridge between Africa and the world to accelerate Zero Tolerance towards FGM and child marriages”, was organised by the Inter-African Committee for Traditional Practices Affecting the Health of Women and Children (IAC), in partnership with the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA) and No Peace Without Justice (NPWJ), and with the support of the Italian Government and other funders.
 
The high level event, which was held under the high patronage of H.E. Mrs Chantal Compaore, First Lady of Burkina Faso and under the Presidency of the Ministry of Social Action and National Solidarity of Burkina Faso, brought together high-level government representatives, parliamentarians and civil society activists from Burkina Faso and other 35 countries, as well as representatives from UN agencies and other international organisations.
 

 
The Conference concluded with the adoption of a Final declaration calling on all countries of the world to engage politically to ensure the full and swift implementation of the United Nations General Assembly resolution on the Worldwide Ban on Female Genital Mutilation (A/RES/67/146), adopted on the 20 December 2012.
 
Reaffirming that female genital mutilation and child marriage constitute wide-scale and blatant violations of the fundamental human rights of women and girls, the final declaration urges all states to take all necessary measures, including enacting and enforcing legislation to prohibit these forms of violence, to protect women and girls from them and to end impunity.
 
Enhancing cooperation and synergy of action at regional and international levels is also crucial to foster the harmonisation of political and legislative measures, to fight the increasingly transnational aspect of these harmful practices, as well as to provide strong and clear support for all activists working to bring them to an end.
 
 
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For more information, contact Alvilda Jablonko, Coordinator of the FGM Program, on ajablonko@npwj.org or +32 494 533 915 or Nicola Giovannini on ngiovannini@npwj.org or +32 (0)2 548-39 15.