Swiss increase UN funding to tackle sexual violence

Switzerland has earmarked $50 million (CHF48 million) to UN Women, a United Nations organisation dedicated to gender equality and the empowerment of women. Speaking in New York, the state secretary in the foreign ministry, Yves Rossier, said the 25% increase in funding for the period 2015-2017 showed the importance of the issue for the Swiss government despite planned public spending cuts. He highlighted the role of women for the peace process in different parts of the world and Switzerland’s support for women networks in the Middle East, North Africa and Myanmar. Switzerland spends about $15 million a year on programmes that tackle gender-related forms of violence, Rossier said. Addressing a meeting of a non-governmental working group on Tuesday, he called for urgent measures to step up protection of female members from other UN personnel on international peacekeeping missions. The UN says it deploys special advisory gender teams to all multi-dimensional ...