Follow-up

The recommendations of the Secretary-General’s in-depth study on violence against women, together with the resolution of the General Assembly A/RES/61/143 [ Arabic | Chinese | English | French | Russian | Spanish ], provide a strong basis for decisive change towards quickly reducing, and eventually eliminating violence against women.  The General Assembly urges States to take action to eliminate all forms of violence against women by means of a more systematic, comprehensive, multisectoral and sustained approach, adequately supported and facilitated by strong institutional mechanisms and financing.  It also calls on different intergovernmental bodies, including the Economic and Social Council, its functional commissions, the Human Rights Council to set priorities, by 2008, for addressing this issue in their future efforts and work programmes. It calls on the United Nations system to enhance their support to States in their efforts to eliminate violence against women.  The Secretary-General will report to the sixty-second session of the Assembly on progress made. 

Non-governmental organizations have an opportunity to use the study and its recommendations, as well as the recommendations in the GA resolution, to strengthen their advocacy efforts vis-à-vis Governments and other actors to ensure that necessary legislation, policy and programme measures, as well as support services are in place, and to end impunity for perpetrators of violence against women.