The Division for the Advancement of Women organized a consultation on “Galvanizing action to combat violence against women” at United Nations headquarters, from 6-7 September 2005. The consultation was an opportunity for representatives of Member States, United Nations entities and non-governmental organizations to highlight the linkages between violence against women and achievement of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) prior to the 2005 World Summit, and to identify key issues to be addressed in the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on violence against women.

The programme included a plenary session moderated by Carolyn Hannan, Director of the Division for the Advancement of Women, with papers presented by six expert panelists:

Sunila Abeysekera, Executive Director of INFORM, Colombo, Sri Lanka

Charlotte Bunch, Executive Director of the Center for Women’s Global Leadership and member of the Advisory Committee for the study, Rutgers,

Nata Duvvury, Director, Gender, Violence and Rights initiative International Center for Research on Women, Washington D.C.

Françoise Gaspard, Expert, Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women, Paris, France

Binaifer Nowrojee, Director, Open Society Initiative for East Africa, Nairobi, Kenya

Sylvia Walby, Professor, Sociology Department, Lancaster University, UK

The plenary session was followed by two working groups which provided an opportunity for more focused and in-depth discussion of issues raised.

Participants are encouraged to share widely the report of the consultation, including recommendations made in the working groups, with their constituencies for use on the course of the sixtieth session of the General Assembly. The results also serve as input for the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on violence against women.

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