Press Statement
Antony J. Blinken, Secretary of State
November 25, 2022
Today we recognize the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and the beginning of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign. Despite great strides to prevent and respond to the pervasiveness of gender-based violence around the world, violence remains deeply entrenched in gender and social norms and persists in homes, schools, communities, workplaces, and increasingly, in virtual and online spaces.
Gender-based violence is a human rights abuse. One in three women and girls will experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetimes, and 70 percent of women experience gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts. One in five girls is married when still under the age of 18, and one in three women and girls lives in a country where marital rape is not an explicit crime. Gender-based violence against LGBTQI+ persons, persons with disabilities, members of marginalized ethnic and racial communities, older persons, and members of other marginalized populations are also widespread and often perpetrated without justice for survivors.
In support of the U.S. National Strategy on Gender Equity and Equality, we will soon release an action-oriented update to the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally to set out U.S. priorities for ending gender-based violence around the world. In partnership with the U.S. Agency for International Development, we will also soon launch the Safe from the Start ReVisioned initiative, purposed to prevent, mitigate, and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian emergencies and protect survivors or those at risk from the onset of emergencies. The United States will continue efforts to promote women and girls’ safety online through the Global Partnership for Action on Gender-Based Online Harassment and Abuse and the White House Taskforce to Address Online Harassment and Abuse.
Unites States Mission to the United States
Statement
Ambassador Linda Thomas-Greenfield
November 25, 2022
On this day, we mark the International Day for the Elimination for Violence against Women and the start of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence Campaign.
We commit to fighting the horrifying scourge of gender-based violence, which continues to afflict our communities and devastate potential for women and girls globally. Harmful gender and social norms – exacerbated by conflict, economic inequality, and climate change- continue to be perpetuated across the world.
Even though women were on the frontline of the response, the COVID-19 pandemic has led to unimaginable setbacks for women and girls, including greatly enhanced risk of child, early, and forced marriage for millions of young girls, and spikes in intimate-partner and sexual violence. And in the United States, intimate-partner violence persists – we saw an extraordinary rise in gender-based violence during the lockdown, with women and girls from underrepresented communities disproportionately impacted.
In 2022, one in five girls will be married before reaching age 18 and one in three women will experience sexual or physical violence in their lifetimes. The message is abundantly clear – the international community must do much more to eliminate gender-based violence over the next decade.
After the death of Mahsa Amini, we listened to harrowing stories of how the morality police violated the human rights of brave Iranian women and girls who risked their lives to object to injustice. In Afghanistan, we have seen images of brutal beatings of women and girls who want simply to obtain an education, and to help their families, communities, and country prosper.
On this important day, the U.S. stands in solidarity with the brave women and girls, both domestically and around the globe, who fight daily to live a life free from the destructive threat of violence.
We will recommit our efforts to addressing this human rights abuse with the forthcoming update to the U.S. Strategy to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence Globally. Here at the United Nations, the United States is working to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in humanitarian contexts, to ensure survivors’ access to health services, and promote accountability and justice for conflict-related sexual violence.
Our mandate to end gender-based violence is now more important than ever. Let’s stand together to renew our commitments and redouble our efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence in all its forms.
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Media Note
Office of the Spokesperson
November 25, 2022
Assistant Secretary of State for Oceans and International Environmental and Scientific Affairs Monica Medina will travel to Punta del Este, Uruguay to lead the U.S. delegation to the first session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-1) November 26-28. Assistant Secretary Medina will join U.S. interagency partners, including the Environmental Protection Agency, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and representatives from over 150 countries to develop a global agreement on plastic pollution.
The INC-1 is the negotiating body established by the United Nations Environment Assembly to develop the text of a global agreement on plastic pollution. The United States is actively engaged in negotiations seeking a global agreement that is ambitious, innovative, and covers the full lifecycle of plastics.
For media inquiries, please contact OES-PA-DG@state.gov
Office of the United States Trade Representative
Press Release
November 23, 2022
The Office of the United States Trade Representative today announced the further extension of the COVID-related product exclusions in the China Section 301 Investigation. The exclusions were previously scheduled to expire on November 30, 2022. In light of the continuing efforts to combat COVID, the exclusions have been extended for an additional 90 days, through February 28, 2023.
The exclusions cover 81 medical-care products and were initially granted on December 29, 2020. Additional information is set out in the Federal Register notice, which can be viewed here.
The U.S. Department of State French Language Spokesperson Johann Schmonsees is based in Johannesburg, South Africa. Please direct interview requests or questions to AFMediaHub@state.gov.
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