(New York, 05 October 2015) United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict Zainab Hawa Bangura has hailed the announcement by the Government of Japan of its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security, stating that “I am very glad that Japan has launched its first national plan, which exemplifies the country’s leading role in pushing for the protection and empowerment of women.” She added, “I am particularly pleased that the National Action Plan explicitly commits to continued financial support for my mandate, which has been a crucial contribution to our efforts in recent years.”

Japan will also host the Group of Seven (G7) Summit in 2016, and the Special Representative expresses her hope that Prime Minister Abe will ensure that his deep commitment to the protection of women is a major theme of the Summit and Japan’s G7 Presidency.

For media inquiries, please contact:
Paulina Kubiak, Office of the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on Sexual Violence in Conflict, Communications Officer in New York +1(917) 367-3819 or kubiakp@un.org.