In tandem with the launch of the global campaign “UNiTE – 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence,” which takes place annually from 25 November to 10 December, the League of Arab States is convening a regional event on 4 December in Cairo.
Organised in cooperation with the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Women, and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), the event is titled “Making All Spaces Safe: Promoting Digital Safety for Women and Girls in the Arab Region.” It brings together representatives from Arab states, relevant UN organisations and agencies, and experts, reflecting the commitment of stakeholders in the Arab region to eliminating all forms of violence against women and girls, including emerging forms of digital violence amid rapid technological change.
The event is part of joint efforts between the League of Arab States and the United Nations to strengthen digital protection for women and girls, in view of the alarming rise in online violence against women—harassment, blackmail, hate speech, and privacy violations—as highlighted by regional assessments. It also asserts the growing risks faced by women in contexts of refuge, displacement, and statelessness within digital spaces, as reported by UN partners.
The regional event is meant to:
• Raise regional awareness of cyber-based violence against women and girls.
• Highlight the scale of the phenomenon based on regional data and studies.
• Promote governmental, regional, and legislative efforts to combat this form of violence.
• Discuss ways to partner with technology companies to leverage digital tools for the protection of women and girls.
• Review initiatives and best practices in digital capacity-building, protecting women in refugee and displacement contexts, and ensuring their safe access to digital spaces.
Lighting the General Secretariat Headquarters in Orange
As part of its active participation in the global “Orange the World” campaign, the League of Arab States illuminated its General Secretariat headquarters in Cairo in orange for three nights beginning on the evening of 25 November, as a symbol of solidarity with international efforts to end violence against women and girls and to reaffirm its commitment to raising public awareness of this issue in the Arab region.
While the League of Arab States reiterates its commitment to the protection and empowerment of women, it renews its call for strengthened regional and international cooperation to ensure that digital spaces are safer and more inclusive, and that women and girls can enjoy their full rights without fear or discrimination.
