Today, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women is the start of 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign which runs until the 10th of December, International Human Rights Day. This campaign is a time to galvanize action to end violence against women and girls around the world. In 2016, the emphasis of the campaign is  the need for sustainable financing for efforts to end violence against women and girls towards the fulfilment of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and specifically Goal 5: Gender Equality.

One of the major challenges to efforts to prevent and end violence against women and girls is the substantial funding shortfall globally. Resources for initiatives to prevent and end violence against women and girls are severely lacking. Frameworks such as the Sustainable Development Goals, which includes a specific target on ending violence against women and girls, offer huge promise, but must be adequately funded in order to bring real and significant changes in the lives of women and girls.

​At The Mary Robinson Centre International Symposium in July, one of our plenary sessions focussed on Goal 5: Mobilising Resources to Achieve Gender Equality and Empower All Women and Girls. This panel featured talks from GERALDINE FRASER-MOLEKETI, Gender Envoy for the African​ Development Bank; HEATHER GRADY, Vice President, Rockefeller Philanthropy Advisors and NOELEEN HEYZER, formerly Head of UNIFEM and Executive Secretary of the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia Pacific (ESCAP) and was Chaired by MARY ROBINSON.
​You can watch the full plenary session below.

​More information about the 16 Days of Activism Campaign can be found on the UN Women, WHO and Women's Aid Ireland websites.
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On the 20th of October, The Mary Robinson Centre’s Visiting Scholar Salomé Ntububa from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), spoke to approximately 90 Transition Year students at the Jesus and Mary Secondary School. Gortnor Abbey in Crossmolina, Co Mayo. As part of our ongoing Bringing Human Rights to Life Schools’ Programme, Salomé’s presentation gave an overview of the 20-year conflict in the DRC, highlighted key targets in the new UN Sustainable Development Goals applicable to promoting sustainable peace in the country and gave specific examples of Irish Aid funded emergency and development projects that are having a real impact on improving the lives of those affected by conflict. It was a unique experience for young people in Mayo to hear directly from a very senior humanitarian worker from the region with both professional and personal experience of the war.
 
Reflecting afterwards, students commented that they had learned so much about a conflict they had not understood before today. “It was so eye opening to hear what kids have to go through every day, that many of them can’t even go to school.” The TY students said they wanted to help, but they also wanted to know where money would go and what sort of projects it would support.  “We hear so much about Trump in the media all the time, but nothing about this war which is affecting so many and is so important.”
 
Salomé Ntububa is Regional Emergency Manager for Central and West Africa, Christian Aid in the DRC. From South Kivu, Salomé has worked as a humanitarian practitioner for over 17 years, in East and West African countries. Currently, Salomé Ntububa leads Christian Aid’s humanitarian responses in West and Central Africa, including monitoring the political and security situation to anticipate future interventions.

As part of her week of activities as The Mary Robinson Centre’s Visiting Scholar from the 17-24 October 2016, Salomé gave several seminars to postgraduate students at NUI Galway, participated in a film screening of War in Eastern Congo and discussion with documentary maker Dearbhla Glynn at the Ballina Library on the 19th of October 2016 and celebrated Congolese culture at Ballyhaunis direct provision centre on the 21st of October. Further details of dates and activities with visiting scholars is available at: http://www.maryrobinsoncentre.ie/visitingscholar.html

Would you like your school to participate in the Bringing Human Rights to Life Programme? We would be delighted to come and talk at your school in November or December. For more information about these events, please contact Natasha Price, Academic Coordinator, at [email protected] or 087 971 3204​

Global Sports Charity Active Communities Network, supported by Laureus Sport for Good Foundation and in partnership with The Mary Robinson Centre, launched the All-Ireland strategy in Ballina on the 20th of October

​If you were in Ballina on the 20th of October, you would have definitely heard about the Active Communities Network Launch Sport Event and Evening Reception. The event was attended by all-blacks Rugby Legend Sean Fitzpatrick, history making Jockeys Sir AP McCoy and Hayley Turner, Mayo GAA star Aidan O’Shea and many other sports stars, all key supporters of the partnership.

​The evening was a terrific chance to come together in support of sport, with an address from Mary Robinson, key note speech from Sean Fitzpatrick, a speech on the All-Ireland Strategy by Jim Donnelly and a panel of sports stars including Sean Fitzpatrick, AP McCoy and Aiden O’Shea. All proceeds from the dinner are to be invested in Mayo based sports initiatives for young people. 

If you missed being able to attend the events on the day, the All Ireland Launch is being covered on Irish TV this evening: Mayo Matters at 7.30pm. The programme will be repeated onThursday, November 3rd at 3pm and Saturday, November 5th at 11am.  Sky 191, Freesat 400 and irishtv.ie / irishtv.com
Viewers can also watch it live online here:  http://www.irishtv.ie/broadcast/ 
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