Ramallah, 8th March 2013 - On the occasion of International Women’s Day, Kenneth Deane, EUPOL COPPS Head of Mission, said:
“Today we celebrate International Women’s Day. Successfully integrating women in society, economy is a litmus test for successful transition of societies around the world. It is an essential ingredient of deep democracy and viable institutions.
In the conduct of its operations and activities, the EU counts on the essential role women play in conflict management, conflict resolution and sustainable peace. Strengthening the rule of law, a key component of sustainable peace, also means promoting gender equality and combating violence against women.
Over the few last years EUPOL COPPS has supported several initiatives directly targeting violence against women and girls in the West Bank including the development of the Family Protection Unit (FPU), a specialized police body that fights and investigates crimes of domestic and gender based violence. The Mission has also supported the promotion and integration of gender equality and women’s empowerment within the Palestinian security sector.
Our Mission will continue to working closely with diverse groups of Palestinian and international stakeholders to promote equality, to combat domestic violence, but also to assist the development of gender mainstreaming process for the benefit of the whole Palestinian population: women, men, boys and girls.
It is clear then, that empowering girls and women is not just our moral duty, it is a solution to many of the greatest challenges to development and peace we face: from economic growth to reducing global conflict and terrorism everyone stands to benefit from empowering women. This is why we must stand up for the cause of women and girls not just today, but every day”.
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