NEW YORK, FEBRUARY 6 – On the occasion of the international day of “zero tolerance” towards female genital mutilation, the Permanent Representative of Italy to the UN, Ambassador Maurizio Massari, pointed out that our country has been one of the first historical donors – and still is one of the three major global donors – of the “UNFPA/UNICEF Joint Programme on the Elimination of Female Genital Mutilation: Delivering the Global Promise”.
UNFPA and UNICEF have jointly led the largest global programme to accelerate the elimination of female genital mutilation (FGM) since 2008. In close collaboration with governments, grassroots community organizations and other key stakeholders, the Joint Programme harnesses the complementary expertise of both UNFPA and UNICEF, as well as the latest social science research, to prevent female genital mutilation across the 17 countries where the programme is implemented. The Programme is supported by a range of generous donors, including the European Union (through Spotlight Inititive Africa Regional Programme) and the governments of Belgium, Canada, France, Germany Iceland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Spain, Sweden, the United Kingdom and the United States of America.
Massari shared Italy’s contribution during the streaming program organized by the major United Nations agencies involved in the field of FGM: UNFPA (United Nations Population Fund) and UNICEF (Children’s Fund).
This year, the theme of the International Day against FGM is the crucial role of men and boys in supporting the end of this practice.
The 2030 UN Agenda aims to achieve zero female genital mutilations by 2030, but these practices are still common in several countries around the world, particularly in Africa. “Four million girls risk being subjected to FGMs every year: this cannot be tolerated any longer. It is alarming that, in 2023, women and girls are still subject to this harmful practice. FGMs do not only have serious and irreversible consequences on the physical and psychological development of girls. They also represent an enormous hindrance to the achievement of gender equality and women’s empowerment”, stressed Massari.
According to UN data, more than 200 million women and girls alive today have suffered female genital mutilation.
“The fight against female genital mutilation has been at the heart of the Italian international cooperation for about two decades as part of our action to end gender-based violence. The clock of the 2030 Agenda is ticking, and countries have only seven years to ensure the achievement of Objective 5.3, entitled Zero FGM”, said the Permanent Representative reiterating that Italy is ready to continue to work to end this heinous violation of human rights: “Women and girls are born free. So let them be free”, concluded the Ambassador. (@OnuItalia)
