Press Releases

1. On September 24, Minister for Foreign Affairs Fumio Kishida is scheduled to attend a side event on preventing sexual violence in conflict being held, on the sidelines of the 68th Session of the United Nations General Assembly, by Rt. Hon William Hague, Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs of the United Kingdom, and H.E. Ms. Zainab Hawa Bangura, Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict.

2. Secretary Hague has established a broad international network between concerned countries that endorse efforts to prevent sexual violence in conflict, and Minister Kishida participates in that network from Japan. The network is scheduled to announce a global Declaration at the side event on September 24. The declaration calls for greater action to break the culture of impunity regarding sexual violence in conflict, greater determination to hold perpetrators to account and for more long-term support and assistance to victims. Japan welcomes the fact that Secretary Hague’s Initiative is supported by a large number of countries in addition to the G8, and hopes that the Initiative will continuously receive the support of a larger number of countries in the future.

3. Based on the belief that sexual violence in conflict cannot be ignored, Japan has thus far been working to prevent sexual violence and support victims of sexual violence in Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, the Central African Republic and elsewhere. Japan intends to continue to strongly support and promote Secretary Hague’s Initiative toward preventing sexual violence in conflict.

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