Rashida Manjoo, UN Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women spoke this 15th June at a press conference in the European Parliament

with Eva-Britt SVENSSON (GUE/NGL, SE), Chair of the EP Women's Rights and Gender Equality Committee and José Mendes BOTA, Chairperson of the Committee on Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

Representatives from the Council of Europe Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the United Nations have called on all 27 member states of the European Union – and the EU itself – to sign up to the groundbreaking new Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence.
 
During the press conference,  Ms Manjoo said “I think that the European Convention on Violence against Women reflects many of the norms and standards that have been articulated within the UN system on the issue of violence against women as a human rights issue.” It deserves the full support of the European Union and all its member states.
 
The Council of Europe Convention on Preventing and combating Violence against Women and Domestic Violence was opened for signature last month.

Video Record Live EP Press Conference

Audio record to the press Conference

Council of Europe Convention on Violence against Women and Domestic Violence

Invitation to

Two events on Disaster Risk Reduction

Disaster risk is a major challenge for governments and local communities to urgently address to pay higher price in the future. 2010 was a record year in terms of losses with damages tripling compared to 2009. 

• European Launch of the 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR11) – Revealing Risk, Redefining Development.

When? Tuesday 14 June, 11.30-12.15

Where? UN House, meeting room, ground floor, Rue Montoyer/straat 14

What? The 2011 Global Assessment Report on Disaster Risk Reduction (GAR11) – Revealing Risk, Redefining Development – is a major initiative of the UN International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (UNISDR). It contributes to achieving the Hyogo Framework for Action (HFA) by monitoring risk patterns and progress in disaster risk reduction. Importantly, it provides guidance to governments and non-governmental actors, on how they can, together, reduce disaster risks. This Report was developed in collaboration with many partners across the globe and important financial resources were contributed generously by, inter alia, the European Commission.

Who? Margareta Wahlström, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General for Disaster Risk Reduction, will present the findings of the Report.

Possibility of one-on-one interviews after the presentation. 

On the occasion of this event the new media handbook on disaster risk reduction will be made available. This handbook was developed by UNISDR, in collaboration with Tim Radford, (former journalist with The Guardian) and with support from a number of international journalist from Thomson Reuter’s AlertNet, the BBC, Vietnam TV and Tempo in Jakarta amongst others.

• Exchange of views with the European Parliament: ‘The EU Approach to Disaster Risk Reduction, Prevent or React?’

When? Tuesday 14 June, 15.30-17.00

Where? European Parliament, room TBC

What? This event shall be timely in providing a forum for discussion which will focus on the EU approach to disaster prevention and will build upon the ongoing efforts made at the EU level. It will be based upon the following questions:

 -Do the UN and the EU have the right structure in place to coordinate preventive mechanisms? What more can be done by the EU to maximize its added-value in disaster prevention?

-The economy of disasters: how can we get smarter with our money?

-Political will: from words to actions. What is the role of national governments within Europe in moving forward DRR policies? 

Who? -Kristalina Georgieva, EU Commissioner for International Cooperation, Humanitarian Aid and Crisis Response,

-Margareta Wahlström, UN Special Representative of the Secretary General  for Disaster Risk Reduction.

Possibility of one-on-one interviews after the presentation.  

For further information and confirmation for both meetings:

Rosa Abruzzese, UNISDR, Tel.: 02/290.25.86 This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Alexandra Froger, UNRIC, +32 2 788 8461,   This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

Jean-Luc Onckelinx, UNRIC, + 32.476/215.485, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

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The opening UNFCCC press conference at the UN Climate Change Conference in Bonn (6-17 June 2011) will take place on Monday, 6 June at 13:15 CEST, following the morning plenary. Venue is the Hotel Maritim Bonn, Salon Haydn, first floor. Media must have prior accreditation in order to attend.
The briefing with UNFCCC Executive Secretary Christiana Figueres will also be webcast live from the UNFCCC website, as will all other press conferences during the meeting. The video files of briefings can also be accessed on demand from the website.

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