[Brussels, 6 May 2014] Sexual violence in conflict destroys lives and traps survivors in poverty and insecurity. The Foreign Secretary and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, will co-chair the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 10-13 June 2014 at ExCel London. It will be the largest gathering ever brought together on this subject, with a view to creating irreversible momentum against sexual violence in conflict and practical action that impacts those on the ground.
Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict
The Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will take place at ExCel London on 10 – 13 June 2014.
Foreign Secretary William Hague will co-chair the summit with Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees.
All the governments that have endorsed the UN Declaration of Commitment to End Sexual Violence in Conflict will be invited, as will legal, military and judicial practitioners and representatives from multilateral organisations, NGOs and civil society. It will be the biggest global meeting on this issue ever convened.
What do we want to achieve?
We want the summit to create a sense of irreversible movement towards ending the use of rape and sexual violence in conflict. We want it to deliver a set of practical agreements that bring together and focus the efforts of conflict and post conflict-affected countries, donors, the UN and other multilateral organisations, NGOs and civil society in an ambitious and cohesive programme for change. We want the summit to identify specific actions by the international community in the four areas where we believe greater progress is necessary. These four areas are:
- To improve investigations/documentation of sexual violence in conflict;
- To provide greater support and assistance and reparation for survivors, including child survivors, of sexual violence;
- To ensure sexual and gender based violence responses and the promotion of gender equality are fully integrated in all peace and security efforts, including security and justice sector reform; and
- To improve international strategic co-ordination.
The summit will also clearly situate this issue within the broader Women, Peace and Security agenda and be an opportunity to make further progress in the international community’s commitment to guaranteeing women’s full economic, social and political rights. We will use the summit to launch the new International Protocol on the Investigation and Documentation of Sexual Violence in Conflict as a practical tool to help improve accountability and encourage its widespread use. In addition, we hope to secure agreement to revising military doctrine and training; improving peacekeeping training and operations; providing new support to local and grassroots organisations and human rights defenders; developing the deployment of international expertise to build national capacity; improved support for survivors, including in humanitarian contexts; and forming new partnerships to support conflict-affected countries.
Summit programme
The summit will take place from 10 – 13 June, with working-level meetings on 11 June and Ministerial-led sessions on 12 and 13 June. NGOs and civil society will be invited to participate actively throughout these discussions. Our aim is to make as much of the summit as possible open to the media.
There will be a large accompanying programme of events alongside the formal meetings. These will explore a broader range of issues related to sexual violence in conflict including conflict prevention, women’s rights and participation, men and boys, children affected by conflict, international justice and wider issues of violence against women and girls. These will be an opportunity to showcase successful programmes and policies from around the world. These events will include film showings, performances, exhibitions and panel discussions. We want them to be globally representative and to be open to summit participants as well as the media, civil society and the public. British Embassies and High Commissions around the world will host events to coincide with the Summit.
