PRESS RELEASE : Global Refugee Forum 2023: UK Statement on gender equality and gender-based violence [December 2023]

The press release issued by the Foreign Office on 19 December 2023.

Statement delivered on 13 December by the UK’s Permanent Representative to the WTO and UN in Geneva, Simon Manley, at a High-Level Event at the Global Refugee Forum.

Good afternoon everyone.

Standing up for the rights of women and girls and ending gender-based violence are urgent priorities for the UK.

These aims are clear across the UK’s newly launched Roadmap for International Development.

Yet, at the halfway point for achieving the Sustainable Development Goals, the world is significantly off-track to meet the target of eliminating violence against women and girls by 2030.

For refugee and displaced populations in complex crises, the trajectories are even worse.

An estimated 70% of women and girls in conflict settings experience gender-based violence.

But all hope is not lost and we are committed to doing more.

One of our priorities must be to work towards incorporating refugees into national prevention and response systems for gender-based violence.

For example, in Jordan, the UK is supporting the Jordan Protection Programme, which aims to embed a sustainable model of supporting survivors within the national system.

Refugee women-led organisations – headed, I know, by many of you here today – are critical to this work.

The results of the UK’s recent research show the impact you have across critical roles ranging from providing front-line GBV services, promoting gender equality and making women and girls more resilient.

This research also highlighted the scale of challenges you face, including many of the barriers we have heard about today.

Receiving limited funding, failing to get official recognition, and struggling to be heard – even when decisions affect you directly.

And if that was not enough, you provide the most immediate services to those at risk but on a voluntary basis, denied the recognition and legal registration that would provide access to funding and support.

This cannot be right.

Failing to amplify your voices is one reason why violence against refugee women and girls is still not high enough up the political agenda.

It remains the silent pandemic.

This has to change.

First and foremost, we need to listen to those directly impacted by violence and discrimination, and amplify the voices of refugee women-led organisations.

Including those representing young people, people with disabilities, LGBT+ people, and survivors of violence.

We are committed to making these changes with our partners. Our delegation here includes two representatives from refugee women-led organisations.

And we are co-sponsoring the Call to Action + pledge on gender equality and protection from GBV, along with Germany, Chile, and Australia.

I am delighted to announce today that the UK is pledging £2m to the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women’s special window on crises.

We have supported them for many years and wholeheartedly back their approach of supporting grassroots organisations to tackle gender-based violence.

Through this special window on crises, the Trust Fund will scale up efforts to empower and resource refugee and women-led organisations working during crises.

Of course, we cannot do this alone, and we are delighted to be working together with partners such as Sweden.

As we know, working with women’s rights organisations is essential to all of our efforts. They are pivotal in our fight to protect the human rights, dignity, and freedoms of women and girls around the world.

New contributions to the UN Trust Fund will complement our broader work with them. For example, our partnership with the Global Survivors Fund.

We are creating projects with Syrian survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in Turkey, providing livelihood, medical, and legal support.

Finally, I will end by emphasising that we must work together to create a stronger international system which can channel more support, funding, and leadership to the refugee women-led organisations.

That is how we can continue to make a difference on the ground.

I look forward to working together towards a world where no women live in fear of violence.

Thank you.