British Ambassador Peter Millett highlights the outcomes of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict
Ambassador Millett invited representatives of the United Nations and Jordanian civil society to highlight the results of the Summit
Reception at the British Ambassador's residence to highlight the results of the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict
Foreign Secretary William Hague and Angelina Jolie, Special Envoy for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, co-chaired the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict on 10-13 June 2014 at ExCel London. Two Jordanian Ministers participated actively in the proceedings. During the Summit there were over 175 public events in London, and an 84-hour global relay of events around the world, including a tweet-up at the Embassy in Amman.
To highlight the results of the Summit, British Ambassador, Peter Millett invited representatives of the United Nations and Jordanian civil society to his residence on 23 June. In his welcoming speech, Ambassador Millett underlined the importance of the Statement of Action and the launch of the International Protocol on the Documentation and Investigation of Sexual Violence in Conflict, which sets out international standards on how to collect the strongest possible information and evidence, whilst protecting witnesses, in order to increase convictions and deter future perpetrators. Both of these documents were supported by Jordan.
Ambassador Millett said:
“The Summit was an unprecedented event, bringing together 1,700 delegates and 129 country delegations including 79 Ministers. It agreed practical steps to tackle impunity for the use of rape as a weapon of war, and to begin to change global attitudes to these horrible crimes. The Summit also captured the practical actions which were agreed to overcome the barriers to ending sexual violence in conflict. This change will require persistence, innovation, commitment and continued leadership on the part of governments, experts, civil society, the media, legal professionals and security forces. It is the Time To Act.”
Jordanian FM Nasser Judeh and Reem Abu Hassan, Social Development Minister, were active participants in the Summit taking part in the opening session and sessions on the role of women respectively. Jordan was amongst the first countries around the world to show serious commitment to this agenda.