Statement by H.E. Ambassador YAMANAKA Osamu, Deputy Permanent Representative of Japan to the United Nations, at the Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence against Women and Girls High-level Side Event “Engaging men and boys: Showcasing Spotlight Initiative - a high impact mode for accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals"

I would like to start by thanking Ambassador Olof and his colleagues for convening a very important event focusing on engaging men and boys in the efforts towards ending violence against women and girls and showcasing good practices from the Spotlight Initiative.
 
Japan attaches great importance to the engagement of men and boys to tackle violence against women and girls, and advance gender equality, as evidenced by our Prime Minister having been chosen for HeForShe. As part of such engagement, Japan, together with the United States and partner organizations, recently convened an event entitled “Engaging Men as Allies in Women, Peace and Security” at the UN as a side event of the Security Council Open Debate on WPS.
 
The event was to launch a study by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, which interviewed six thousand residents in conflict-affected areas in Indonesia and the Philippines.
 
The study identified important trends such as that the majority of the male respondents do not associate violence with masculinity and have a desire to express masculinity in unconventional manners more in line with the expectations of the current diversified world. The findings clearly show opportunities for changing perceptions and preventing violence. Japan would like to continue to address this issue in the context of peace and security as a Security Council Member in 2024.
 
Through our international cooperation, we have engaged men and boys in a number of initiatives to tackle violence against women and girls, with a particular focus on both male police officers and ordinary men in the position to deal with violence.
 
Just to share a few examples, since 2020, a Japanese NGO implemented a project in a refugee camp in Cox Bazar, Bangladesh which engaged 250 men in preventing and responding to gender-based violence in the camp. In Cote d’Ivoire, JICA, Japan’s aid agency, conducted a project on capacity building of the National Police of Cote d'Ivoire, specifically to strengthen the capacity of both male and female police officers to deal with GBV.

I look forward to learning more good practices for the elimination of violence against women and girls through the engagement of men and boys.  I hope today’s discussion will lead to further ideas and collaborations.

I thank you.