JOINT PRESS RELEASE

‘Women empowerment one of the most profitable social investments imaginable’

ADDIS ABABA – Today the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the Kingdom of the Netherlands launch a € 2.7 million programme that aims to reduce violence against women.

The three-year programme, which will be managed by UNFPA, will further strengthen an enabling environment that reduces violence against women in Ethiopia.

UNFPA and the Netherlands, through their Agreement, will support the activities of civil society organisations that implement community-based intervention and violence prevention programmes. The agreement will also strengthen capacity in the areas of care and social support to victims of violence. Adolescent girls and women will benefit from better clinical help and legal assistance, for instance, and from counselling and rehabilitation services. The ultimate goal is to stop violence against women.

Empowering women is central to the Netherlands’ development co-operation policies.

Mr. Alphons Hennekens, Netherlands Ambassador to Ethiopia, said that ending violence against women is not only a human rights and a social justice issue: “Strong women and girls also help economic development and reduce poverty.” He called the improvement of the situation of women and girls “one of the most profitable social investments imaginable.”

Gender Based Violence is also at the heart of UNFPA’s mandate, as it reflects gender inequalities and is very closely related to reproductive health issues and HIV/AIDS. “Whether it is domestic violence, rape, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, child prostitution, trafficking, forced labour, or harmful traditional practices like early marriage and female genital mutilation, violence prevents a girl or a woman from exercising her human rights, violates her dignity, and jeopardizes her health, well-being, and future,” noted Dr. Monique Rakotomalala, UNFPA’s Representative in Ethiopia. “Today’s agreement offers an opportunity to take a firm stand to stop gender-based violence and ensure that reproductive rights and care are the centre piece of our work.”

The Agreement and its objectives complement the Government of Ethiopia’s policies on gender equality. Gender equality is one of the eight pillars of the government’s poverty reduction plan, which aims to “unleash the potential of women.” The Donor community is currently supporting the Ethiopian Ministry of Women’s Affairs through a Gender Pool Fund, and the technical working group on Gender Equality is providing technical and financial support to promote the advancement of Ethiopian women.

About the Royal Netherlands Embassy

The Netherlands has a longstanding development partnership with Ethiopia. The Netherlands’ bilateral development cooperation programme with Ethiopia focuses on three sectors: education; health; and rural economic development. Gender is a cross-cutting issue that is reflected in all three sectors. Furthermore, governance is an important area of Dutch development policy.

A new policy area for the Netherlands Government is private sector development. The Embassy is actively promoting the development of the horticulture/floriculture sector in Ethiopia. With obvious success: over forty Dutch entrepreneurs have already started operations throughout Ethiopia.

About UNFPA Ethiopia

UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund, is an international development agency that promotes the right of every woman, man and child to enjoy a life of health and equal opportunity. UNFPA supports countries in using population data for policies and programmes to reduce poverty and to ensure that every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is safe, every young person is free of HIV/AIDS, and every girl and woman is treated with dignity and respect.

UNFPA in Ethiopia currently supports Gender as the third sub-programme of its sixth country programme. The gender programme includes capacity building and community-based interventions through the federal Ministry of Women’s Affairs; the Ministries of Health, Education, and Youth Services; and various Bureaus of Women’s Affairs all over the country. UNFPA Ethiopia consistently appeals to local and national leaders to vigorously enact and enforce laws and regulations that address discrimination and violence against women and girls, and to advance gender equality and human rights, including the right to sexual and reproductive health. UNFPA Ethiopia also supports innovative programmes in the areas of Early Marriage and advocacy on Gender Based Violence. The organisation is a lead partner in fostering coordination within the UN and with the national donor network in Gender programming.

Present in Ethiopia since 1973, the Fund ensures that population continues to be a key focus in the UN development assistance to the Government of Ethiopia.

For more information, please contact:
Yelfigne Abegaz, Gender & CSOs Senior Advisor, Netherlands Embassy; Tel 011 3 71 11 00 ext.218; email: [email protected]
Helen Amdemikael, Assistant Representative, UNFPA; Tel. 0115444468;
e-mail: [email protected]