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PRESS BRIEFING BY MONICA GRAYLEY,?SPOKESPERSON FOR GENERAL ASSEMBLY PRESIDENT MAR?A FERNANDA ESPINOSA

Good afternoon, everyone!

I haven¡¯t seen you in a while¡­ I hope you are doing well?

PGA JOINS EVENTS ON ENDING VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN

Today, the President of the General Assembly, Ms. Mar¨ªa Fernanda Espinosa, is marking the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women. The actual day, which is observed on 25 November, will fall on Sunday, when the world starts 16 Days of Activism to end violence against women and girls everywhere.?

As you know, the 25^th of every month has been called Orange Day by the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Women campaign: Say No, Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵite which was launched in 2009. The PGA and her staff are wearing orange today to mark the occasion.

This morning, Ms. Espinosa delivered a keynote speech at the Trusteeship Council, drawing attention for the high numbers of cases of violence against women.

It is estimated that 35 per cent of women have experienced physical and/or sexual violence; as s many as 38 per cent of murders of women are committed by an intimate partner; at least 200 million women and girls alive today have undergone female genital mutilation; and around 120 million girls worldwide (slightly more than 1 in 10) have experienced forced sexual acts.

Violence against women also costs some countries up to 3.7 per cent of their Gross Domestic Product, GDP. Ms. Espinosa says that: ¡°there is simply no excuse to tolerate this¡±, and that the world has a moral obligation to end it. The PGA reminded all that Member States committed to eliminating all forms of violence against all women and girls throughout the Agenda 2030 on sustainable development.

This year the theme is: Orange the World: #HearMeToo, and the 16 days of activism will conclude on 10 December, which is Human Rights Day.

The PGA concluded her remarks noting that listening is not enough: ¡°We need to invest more in changing stereotypes, ending harmful practices and hold perpetrators accountable¡±, and not to rest until all forms of violence against women and girls are eliminated.

ESPINOSA TAKES PART IN FORUM ON THE ALLIANCE OF CIVILIZATION

The PGA started her day talking to participants of the 8^th Global Forum on the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Alliance of Civilization (Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵAOC). She joined the Ä¢¹½ÊÓƵ Representative for the Alliance of Civilization, the Secretary-General and representatives from Spain, Qatar and Turkey for the event, in New York.

Ms. Espinosa highlighted that her Seven Priorities coincide with the goal to promote more peaceful and diverse societies. This includes Youth, Peace and Security, which advocates engaging young people in the decision-making processes and to listen to them as we seek innovative solutions for common problems. The PGA also mentioned that gender equality, decent work is crucial to build more peaceful and prosperous societies. Ms. Espinosa also talked about the importance of migration and how the Alliance of Civilizations can promote more dialogue about this topic enhancing the role of diversity and unity.

PGA¡¯s AGENDA

As we speak, the PGA is meeting and greeting Women Advocates at her office. She will take part in the Luncheon on Gender Equality and Women¡¯s Empowerment, here at Headquarters. Later she will have separate meetings with the Ambassadors of Poland, Mexico and Switzerland at her office.

(The activists are: Daniela Elizabeth Giuliano from Argentina; Geentajali Misra from India; Ana Vasileva from the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia; Sandra Beatriz V¨¢zquez from Argentina.)

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SAVE THE DATE: PGA¡¯s NEW PRESS CONFERENCE ON 21 NOVEMBER

And finally, the PGA will hold a second Press Conference in New York on 21 November, this Wednesday, at 11 am, here at this Press Briefing Room. It will be an hour from 11 am. to 12:00 and we look forward to your questions and interactions.

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This is all from us today. I am now happy to take your questions.

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