Statement by the Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Þórdís Kolbrún Reykfjörð Gylfadóttir, Icelandic Minister for Foreign Affairs
“On the International day for the elimination of violence against womenI reaffirm Iceland‘s unwavering commitment to gender equality and to protecting hard-won progress on the human rights of women and girls. Together we must fight all forms of violence against women and girls everywhere, always. Unfortunately, this is the most widespread violation of human rights in the world and it occurs in all member states of the Council of Europe. While significant progress in addressing gender-based violence has been made over decades of activism, new forms of violence have emerged.
“During our presidency, Iceland will pay particular attention to the fight against digital violence. As part of our presidency, we will actively engage in the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence campaign starting today, which aims to prevent and end violence against women and girls. . To demonstrate our solidarity in eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, the Icelandic Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Reykjavik and Icelandic embassies around the world will be illuminated in orange during the 16 Days of Activism against gender-based violence. This is being done as part of Orange Day by the UNiTE campaign to end violence against women on November 25th. The color orange symbolizes a better future, without violence.
“I encourage everyone to get involved during these 16 days – and every day. I pledge to do my part. During our presidency, we will also stress the importance of raising awareness of the different forms of violence against women and girls. Together with other delegations in Strasbourg, the Permanent Representation of Iceland will organize a social media campaign to highlight the positive impact of the Council of Europe Convention on preventing and combating violence in against women and domestic violence (Istanbul Convention) at the national level.