Around the world, progress on women’s rights is vanishing before our eyes. The latest forecasts estimate that on our current track, it will take another 300 years to reach full gender equality. Today’s cascading crises, from the war in Ukraine to the climate emergency, affect women and girls first and worst. And as part of the global pushback against democracy, women’s rights over their bodies and autonomy over their lives are being questioned and denied.   Two statistics make our failure very clear: Every ten minutes, one woman or girl is murdered by a family member or intimate partner. And one woman dies every two minutes during pregnancy or childbirth. Most of those deaths are entirely preventable. On International Women’s Day, we must commit to doing better. We need to reverse these horrific trends and stand up for the lives and rights of women and girls, everywhere. This is one of my core priorities and a central plank of the work of the United Nations around the world. From South Sudan to Myanmar, we are supporting women and girls in crisis and making sure their voices are heard in peace processes. The Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, recently visited Afghanistan with a message for the authorities: women and girls have fundamental human rights, and we will never give up fighting for them. This year, International Women’s Day focuses on closing gender gaps in science, technology, and innovation. Globally, men are 21 percent more likely to be online than women — and over 50 percent more likely in low-income countries. But even the richest countries lose out because of gender-based stereotypes and historic bias. In the tech industry, men outnumber women two to one.  In Artificial Intelligence, it’s five to one. Big data is the new gold, and the foundation of today’s political and business decisions. But it often ignores gender differences – or turns a blind eye to women altogether. We should all be alarmed by products and services that bake in gender inequality right from the start, and digitize patriarchy and misogyny. The Silicon Valleys of this world must not become Death Valleys for women’s rights. Medical decisions based on data from men’s bodies can not only harm women; it can be deadly. Discrimination against women in science and technology is the result of centuries of patriarchy, discrimination and damaging stereotypes. Women account for just three percent of Nobel Prize winners in scientific categories since 1901. And women online – including scientists and journalists – are often targeted for sexist hate speech and abuse designed to silence and shame them.   But they will not be silenced. Women and girls everywhere are demanding their rights, and their words reverberate around the world. We need action on several fronts to make sure women and girls can make their full contribution to the world’s knowledge through science and technology. We must break down barriers — from discriminatory data to stereotypes that push girls away from studying scientific subjects at an early age. Decisionmakers of all kinds must broaden women’s participation and leadership in science and technology, through quotas if necessary. They should be creative, widening the recruitment pipeline and hiring for skills. And they must be persistent. Gender equality will not happen by itself; it has to be prioritized and pursued. This approach is getting results at the United Nations, where we have our own strategy for gender parity among our personnel. We also need action to create a safe digital environment for women and to hold accountable both the perpetrators of online abuse, and the digital platforms that enable them.  The United Nations is working with governments, civil society, the private sector and others on a Code of Conduct aimed at reducing harm and increasing accountability on digital platforms, while defending freedom of expression. Women’s rights are not a luxury that can wait until we solve the climate crisis, end poverty and create a better world. Investing in women and girls is the surest way to uplift all people, communities and countries, and to achieve the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Together, let’s work for a more inclusive, just, and prosperous world for women and girls, men and boys, everywhere.

The second femicide in Kosovo in less than a week has stained the annual global campaign to bring an end to violence against women and girls, this time with a nine-month pregnant woman shot dead allegedly by her partner. The devastating death of the pregnant woman on Wednesday, 30 November in Prishtinë/Priština, whose unborn child also did not survive the shooting, follows on the murder of S.G by her husband in her sleep on Friday (25 November), International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the same day that the annual 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence began around the world. The Security and Gender Group (SGG) strongly condemns these atrocious acts. We express indignation at the number of women’s lives lost in Kosovo to violence perpetrated by their partners or former partners. We also strenuously call upon relevant institutions urgently to address the institutional protection failure which allows reported domestic violence to result in femicide, and to provide effective protection to those victims whose lives are still at risk.   Also, the SGG extends heartfelt condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims. As the whole world marks the annual international “16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence” campaign, we are shocked at these blatant cases of apparent partner violence directed at women– giving the dreadful statistic of two cases of femicide only five days apart. Gender-related killings of women, known as femicide, are the most brutal and extreme manifestation of a continuum of violence against women and girls. This kind of violence remains the most pervasive human rights violation around the world.[1] A global report launched a few days ago by UN Women and the UN Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) revealed that, around the world, on average five women or girls are killed every hour by someone in their own family.[2] Such extreme forms of violence against women and girls are preventable. This can be achieved through early intervention and multi-stakeholder and multisectoral partnerships. According to the study on Gender and Small Arms in Southeast Europe, the likelihood of women being killed increases by between five and twelve times if the perpetrator of domestic violence has a firearm, legal or illegal.[3] In this case, although the victim had a protection order, the perpetrator managed to murder her using a firearm. In Kosovo, during 2012-2016, 71.4% of women and 81.8% of men killed by a family member utilized a firearm. All the women killed by an intimate partner during this period were killed with firearms.[4] According to Article 24(1) of the Law on Protection against Domestic Violence, the Kosovo Police shall respond to any report relating to acts of domestic violence or threats to commit such acts. The Law further states that the “Kosovo Police shall use reasonable means to protect the victim and prevent further violence.” It established specific measures to be taken in such cases. In this case, the victim had been issued a protection order against the suspect, valid until 13 March 2023. Furthermore, an indictment was filed against the suspect with charges of threat against the victim in August of this year and the initial hearing was held in September. There were 2,273 cases of domestic violence reported to the police from January to the end of October 2022; sadly, but not surprisingly, more than 85 per cent of the victims were women. To ensure that all women and girls are protected effectively in the future, SGG members appeal to relevant institutions to: guarantee justice for victims, concrete actions to prevent violence against women and girls, protect victims, prosecute, and sentence the perpetrators in line with the Istanbul Convention. initiate perpetrator programmes aimed at changing violent behavioural patterns  implement electronic monitoring technologies through bracelets to enable judicial and executive authorities to restrict, regulate and enforce the perpetrator’s locations, movements, and schedules, and thereby prevent the reoccurrence of violence. allocate adequate resources to ensure more effective reporting mechanisms from social workers allocate adequate resources to the police to treat domestic violence cases with the highest priority and determination properly conduct a multi-agency review of these latest gender-related killings to ensure organisational failings are identified and lessons are learned that allow those failings to be addressed and not to reoccur establish an independent Task Force composed of representatives from state stakeholders’ institutions and specialized NGO representatives and specialized NGOs to assess and evaluate the treatment of the latest cases of femicide by respective officials and institutions. invest in fighting gender stereotyping and a culture of violence against women and girls since early education. Ensure effective risk assessment of Domestic Violence cases and develop adequate safety plans for the victims. Rigorously monitor protection orders and provide victims with immediate access to police protection. Seize firearms immediately when a Domestic Violence case is reported. The SGG will not stop raising the voice of women victims to ensure we increase effective means to educate, deter, prevent, protect and prosecute domestic violence and femicide.  We will be the voice for those who may believe they are voice-less, and we will stand firm against gender-based violence.   Note to press   The Security and Gender Group (SGG) is a multi-stakeholder group, chaired by UN Women. The following signatories are members of SGG and support this public statement:   International organizations and Embassies: UN Kosovo Team (UNKT) agencies including the Office of the UN Development Coordinator, UN Women, IOM, United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-HABITAT), Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), World Health Organization (WHO), United Nations Office for Project Services (UNOPS), Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR); The Embassy of Sweden in Kosovo, The Embassy of Finland in Kosovo, EULEX, UNMIK-UN Mission in Kosovo, EU Office/EUSR in Kosovo, OSCE Mission in Kosovo.   Women’s organizations and NGOs: Kosova Women’s Network; Kosovo Gender Studies Center (KGSC), YIHR KS, Network of Roma, Ashkali, and Egyptian Women Organizations (NRAEWOK), Jahjaga Foundation, Kosovo Law Institute (KLI).   Kosovo Institutions: Agency for Gender Equality   [1] https://www.unwomen.org/en/news-stories/in-focus/2022/11/in-focus-16-days-of-activism-against-gender-based-violence [2] https://www.unwomen.org/en/digital-library/publications/2022/11/gender-related-killings-of-women-and-girls-improving-data-to-improve-responses-to-femicide-feminicide [3] Gender-Analysis_Report_KOS_ENG.pdf (seesac.org) [4] Gender-Analysis_Report_KOS_ENG.pdf (seesac.org), see page 21

The group calls upon relevant institutions to take effective measures to thoroughly investigate the circumstances of the case and ensure effective delivery of justice for the survivor. There can be no tolerance for rape and other forms of sexual violence and no impunity for perpetrators SGG also calls upon the media to refrain from publishing information that might lead to disclosing the survivor’s identity. In addition, the SGG calls upon relevant institutions to build specialized services for addressing sexual violence whilst committing to join efforts in protecting and supporting survivors of gender-based violence. As a globally occurring and significantly underreported crime, sexual violence against women and girls needs to be addressed in a manner presenting the least risk to those seeking assistance and ensuring the right to safety, confidentiality, and non-discrimination to the survivor with support provided in the most dignified manner. Finalization of the Protocol for Treatment of Sexual Violence cases should happen as a matter of urgency, clearly defining the roles and responsibilities of each institution involved in supporting survivors of sexual violence. At the same time, the justice system needs to ensure that the perpetrators are held criminally liable and punished as prescribed by the Kosovo criminal code and provided for in the Istanbul Convention. Examinations conducted by the Kosovo Forensic Institute show that majority of victims of sexual violence are minors. The latest rape case, committed brutally against a minor girl, is deeply shocking and reveals that even the most vulnerable are not protected. The Istanbul Convention, the provisions of which are to be directly applicable in Kosovo, and which the Kosovo institutions have committed to implement includes specific requirements on addressing cases of sexual violence including rape, ranging from criminalisation to protection of victims (Article 25 and Article 36). Recognizing the severe trauma associated with sexual violence, including rape, the Istanbul Convention states that immediate provision of comprehensive, survivor-centred responses through quality essential health, social and justice services and supplies is ensured. Protection from violence and abuse is the right of every child, as enshrined in the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) and the Kosovo Law on Child Protection implementing the CRC in Kosovo. The SGG commits to join efforts in fulfilling the rights of survivors of sexual violence and calls upon competent institutions to guarantee those rights by providing specialized training for all stakeholders involved in offering the support to which survivors are legally entitled, and by establishing specialized government-funded shelters for sexual violence survivors, and in the case of children, specialized centres for child survivors, as established in the Law on Child Protection, considering the specific needs and vulnerabilities of children. The group is lobbying to strengthen the preventive role of the Kosovo police through community policing and regular patrolling around the neighbourhoods, childcare facilities, schools and other public places. Providing adequate and rehabilitative services is not only a sexual violence survivor’s right, but also a prerequisite for feeling safe and empowered, for ending impunity for perpetrators and for closing the serious gap in underreporting. The SGG calls various stakeholders, educational institutions, communities, the media, police, civil society organizations and other institutional partners to join efforts to prevent sexual violence. The SGG strongly condemns any act of violence against women and girls and remains committed to amplify and unite our voices and efforts to end this suffering and injustice in our society.   International organizations and Embassies: UN Development Coordinator in Kosovo a.i. on behalf of the UN Kosovo Team , OSCE Mission in Kosovo , EULEX Kosovo (Official) , Embassy of Japan in Kosovo , Suomen suurlähetystö Pristina - Embassy of Finland in Pristina , UNMIK - United Nations Mission in Kosovo , European Union in Kosovo. Women’s organizations and NGOs: Kosovo Gender Studies Center (Qendra Kosovare për Studime Gjinore), SIT - Center for Counseling, Social Services and Research , Youth Initiative for Human Rights - Kosovo (YIHR KS), Inject - Initiative for Justice and Equality , Kosova - Women 4 Women , Network of Roma, Ashkali and Egyptian Women's Organizations of Kosovo, Jahjaga Foundation . Kosovo institutions: Agency for Gender Equality (Agjencia për Barazi Gjinore/ Zyra e Kryeministrit)

There is a saying: “It takes a village to raise a child.” It also takes a village to support people living through a humanitarian crisis. This village includes affected people who are always first to respond when disasters strike — neighbours helping neighbours. It includes a global community pulling together to support them as they recover and rebuild. And it includes hundreds of thousands of individual humanitarians — volunteers and professionals alike. Delivering health care and education.  Food and water. Shelter and protection. Help and hope. Far from the spotlight and out of the headlines, humanitarians work around the clock to make our world a better place. Against incredible odds, often at great personal risk, they ease suffering in some of the most dangerous circumstances imaginable. Today, the number of people who need humanitarian assistance has never been higher, because of conflicts, climate change, COVID-19, poverty, hunger and unprecedented levels of displacement. On this year’s World Humanitarian Day, we celebrate humanitarians everywhere. We salute their dedication and courage, and pay tribute to those who lost their lives in pursuit of this noble cause. They represent the best of humanity. ***