Oct 2010 - Feb 2011 | UNiTE Campaign

The campaign was successfully rolled out in the Caribbean in October 2010 and in Asia in November 2010, with a launch in the Pacific expected in early 2011. In the Middle East a number of activities are being implemented under the leadership of ESCWA. Regional Secretariats for UNiTE Latin America and Caribbean, UNiTE Africa and UNiTE Asia are implementing regional and national interagency work plans. At the national level, many Resident Coordinators are leading their country teams in the further development of the campaign’s activities at the national level. From Bridgetown to Addis, from Uruguay to Lebanon various campaigning activities focused on building partnerships, raising the visibility of the campaign’s concerns and solutions and social mobilization, including concerts, exhibitions, media outreach and expert discussions. In Mexico, UNiTE Latin America organized a concert with performances by Costa Rican singer Debi Nova, Palestinian Hip Hop group G-Town, and Mexican rock singer Pambo. In Uganda, the Department of Peace and Security, with other UN partners, mounted a photo exhibition on violence against women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations.At regional and national levels, the campaign has engaged in consultations with a large number of civil society organizations in order to develop strategies and campaigning activities. As a result, UNiTE is being used as an umbrella for activities of civil society and community organizations. For example, in Tajikistan twenty four world champions of the National Federation of Taekwondo and Kickboxing serve as a network of local advocates to prevent violence and discrimination against women and girls. The Federation has already talked to a military unit about violence in the family and the role of men in harmonizing family relations. The UNiTE Secretariat has developed strategic partnerships with:• An award winning media campaign Bell Bajao (Ring the Bell), developed by Breakthrough, an international organization, involving men and boys to transform public attitudes about violence against women and girls. The UNiTE Campaign aims to utilize this partnership to further engage members of the Secretary-General’s Network of Men Leaders. The UN Secretary-General has recorded a public service announcement as the inaugural “champion” of the Bell Bajao Global campaign and this new partnership that was announced at the Clinton Global Initiative.• Together for Girls, an initiative to end sexual violence against adolescent girls that is comprised of the US President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief, the US Department of State’s Office Global Women’s Issues, the US Center for Disease Control and Prevention, UNICEF, UNAIDS, UNFPA, UNIFEM (part of UN Women), the Nduna Foundation, BD (Becton, Dickinson and Company), and Grupo ABC of Brazil. Partnership efforts focus on three pillars: conducting national surveys on the magnitude and impact of sexual violence, supporting a plan of action at the country level and launching communications and public awareness campaigns. The UNiTE Campaign will aim to link UNiTE’s relevant national activities with this global partnership.• Religions for Peace, the largest international coalition of representatives from the world’s great religions dedicated to promoting peace, which will focus on the engagement of religious leaders in the Secretary-General’s Network of Men Leaders.The UNiTE campaign continues to work through the Secretary-General’s Network of Men Leaders.The Network currently has 15 members and the UNiTE Campaign aims to enlist up to 100 new members by the end of 2011. In August 2010 members of the Network issued a petition to call on the African Union, its regional bodies and Member States to take urgent action to end the endemic violence faced by women and girls across the continent, especially in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Paulo Coelho, Brazilian author, also supports the campaign through several mediums. In an interview in December 2010 he said about the Network: "Men should be more aware of the problems women face…Unfortunately, in our world controlled by men, awareness is too low. Things have to change and what’s better for that than the UN, a global, non-profit organization that promotes peace and a better life for human beings. That’s why I’m part of this group and again, I’m proud to be part of it." On 23 November, 2010, during the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UNiTE Campaign organized two events - a Breakfast with Secretary-General and the corporate sector and the UN Official Observance ceremony, both attended by the Secretary-General. The preparations were led by the former Office of the Special Adviser on Gender Issues, now UN Women, which is the Secretariat for the UNiTE Campaign, in close collaboration with DPI, UNFPA, UNiTE Latin America and Caribbean component, UN Trust Fund to Eliminate Violence against Women and UN Women. The focus on the theme Leadership of the Corporate Sector in Ending Violence against Women and Girls has provided the UNiTE Campaign with an opportunity to establish a dialogue with corporate leaders about the engagement of the business sector with the campaign.In December 2011, the UN Federal Credit Union (UNFCU) joined the UNiTE Campaign in its fundraising efforts to achieve the $100M for the UN Trust Fund and raised a total of over 11,000 USD.The Say NO– UNiTE to End Violence against Women social mobilization platform has recorded more than 1.8 million actions in one year, having a network of nearly 29,000 people on social media and 382 civil society partners.Former UNIFEM (now part of UN Women) continued to play a key role in the coordination and roll out of the regional chapters of the Secretary-General’s UNiTE Campaign in Africa, East and South East Asia, Asia-Pacific and the Caribbean. UNFPA is a key supporter of the SG’s Campaign “UNiTE to End Violence against Women” and has provided technical and financial support to roll out the Campaign at the regional and country levels.