For the 15th year in a row, February 6 is the International Day of Zero Tolerance for FGM.
This global awareness day, co-sponsored by UNICEF and the UN Population Fund, “harnesses the complementary expertise of the two agencies, with governments and often in close collaboration with grass-roots community organizations and other key stakeholders, backed by the latest social science research.”
Phase III of UN campaign to eliminate FGM begins in 2018
“Starting in 2018, UNFPA and UNICEF are continuing the joint effort, integrating complementary interventions even more systematically under a new phase of the Joint Programme. The joint action builds on valuable lessons learned and is directly linked to the Sustainable Development Goal 5.3, which aims to end all harmful practices by 2030. The focus continues to be on countries with highest FGM prevalence, with the aim of shifting social norms in affected communities while working with governments to put in place viable national response systems,” the UN agencies say.
Targets for Phase III include:
- 8 million girls and women will receive appropriate FGM-related services
- 19 million people in over 10,000 communities will publicly declare abandonment of FGM
- 16 countries will have a national budget line and monitoring mechanism
- Regional and sub-regional political organizations will be mobilized to enhance national efforts
- The availability of a global online knowledge hub
Principal funding for the UN initiative comes from the European Union, Finland, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.