'International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women' KOICA Launches Project with 4 UN Agencies

Promoting Prevention and Response to Gender-Based Violence... Contributing to Building a Gender-Equal Society

[Asia Economy Reporter Lim Cheol-young] Ahead of the United Nations-designated "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" on the 25th, Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the representative institution for development cooperation in the Republic of Korea, is launching a project to eradicate violence against women in Timor-Leste in collaboration with four UN agencies.

On the morning of the 23rd (local time), KOICA held a signing ceremony at Hotel Timor in Dili, the capital of Timor-Leste, with UN Women, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to initiate the "Timor-Leste Gender-Based Violence* Prevention and Response Project."

The "International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women" commemorates the three sisters in the Dominican Republic who died violently while resisting dictatorship on November 25, 1960, and was designated by the UN General Assembly in 1999 as the day to eliminate violence against women worldwide.

KOICA plans to cooperate with the UN until 2024 with a budget of 7.3 million USD (approximately 8.1 billion KRW) to provide essential services such as medical and legal support to victims of violence, strengthen women's policies and economic capabilities, support medical aid for victims, and offer legal assistance services. Additionally, education on gender equality norms will be conducted to promote changes in attitudes, behaviors, and mindsets aimed at preventing gender-based violence, and gender equality advocacy activities will be carried out led by the Scout Association and students from the National University of Timor-Leste.

This project is expected to contribute to building a gender-equal society where human rights and women's rights are respected by preventing violence against women and girls in Timor-Leste and providing essential services to victims. Besides gender violence victims, approximately 10,000 people from 411 institutions, including students, medical and judicial institutions, media, and civil society organizations, are expected to benefit from the project.

The signing ceremony was attended by Kim Sik-hyun, KOICA Timor-Leste Office Director; Sunita Caminha, UN Women Timor-Leste Office Director; Ronny Lindstrom, UNFPA Timor-Leste Office Director; Munkhtuya Altengerel, UNDP Timor-Leste Office Director; Cecilia McIntosh, Acting Director of IOM Timor-Leste Office; and from the Timor-Leste government, Maria Monteiro de Jesus, Director of the Office for Inclusive Equality.

Kim Sik-hyun, KOICA Timor-Leste Office Director, stated, "No form of violence can be justified, and it is not an issue to be postponed for economic development," adding, "Through this project, KOICA will drive the implementation of its global gender equality initiative, ‘SDG5 Fill the GAP.’"

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.