About UNiTE

UN Secretary-General's UNiTE to End Violence Against Women Campaign

"We must unite. Violence against women cannot be tolerated, in any form, in any context, in any circumstance, by any political leader or by any government. The time to change is now. Only by standing together and speaking out can we make a difference."
- Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon

About UNiTE

Launched in 2008, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign is a multi-year effort aimed at preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls around the world.

UNiTE calls on governments, civil society, women’s organizations, young people, the private sector, the media and the entire UN system to join forces in addressing the global pandemic of violence against women and girls.

The campaign builds on existing international legal and policy frameworks, and works to synergize the efforts of all UN offices and agencies working to end violence against women.

The UNiTE Framework for Action provides an overall “umbrella” for existing and new initiatives at global, regional, national and local levels, and provides five key outcomes to be achieved in all countries by 2015.

These outcomes include:

  • Adoption and enforcement of national laws to address and punish all forms of violence against women and girls, in line with international human rights standards.
  • Adoption and implementation of multi-sectoral national plans of action that emphasize prevention and are adequately resourced.
  • Establishment of data collection and analysis systems, on the prevalence of various forms of violence against women and girls.
  • Establishment of national and/or local campaigns and the engagement of a diverse range of civil society actors in preventing violence and in supporting women and girls who have been abused.
  • Systematic efforts to address sexual violence in conflict situations and to protect women and girls from rape as a tactic of war, and the full implementation of related laws and policies.

Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women is a global platform for advocacy and action, presented by UN WOMEN as a contribution to advance the objectives of the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE campaign through social mobilization. Say NO – UNiTE initiates, supports and communicates national and local advocacy efforts towards ending violence against women and girls, contributing specifically to Outcome 4 of the UNiTE Framework of Action (increased public awareness and social mobilization). Through an interactive an