WHAT: UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Nicole Kidman and Executive Director Inés Alberdi to launch global advocacy initiative Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women.

WHEN: 3:00 p.m. (Nairobi Time), Friday 6 November

WHERE: Tribe, The Village Market Hotel, Gigiri suburb, Nairobi, Kenya

WHO: Esther Murugi Mathenge, Minister of Gender, Children and Social Development, Kenya; Inés Alberdi, Executive Director, UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM); Nicole Kidman, UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador

WHY: UNIFEM Executive Director and Goodwill Ambassador will kick off the global advocacy initiative Say NO – UNiTE to End Violence against Women, which will stimulate, count and showcase actions on ending violence against women. The innovative platform will spotlight global efforts and demonstrate the groundswell of actions on the issue. Nicole Kidman is the spokesperson for Say NO – UNiTE, and will also share her experiences of seeing first-hand the work of UNIFEM partners in Kenya to end gender-based violence. The exciting international initiative Say NO – UNiTE is designed to contribute through outreach and advocacy to the UN Secretary-General led, high-profile campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women.

Up to 70 percent of women worldwide experience physical or sexual violence from men in their lifetime — the majority by someone they know.
In Kenya, 83 percent of women have faced childhood physical abuse and 61 percent as adults.
In Nairobi, one out of five women has been sexually harassed at work or school.
Press statements, photos and B-roll footage will be available.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Journalists are kindly requested to RSVP. Please contact: Irene Mwakesi, + 254 20-76236-77, irene.mwakesi[at]unon.org

Additional Contacts for Media Inquiries:

Kenya: Pamela Tuiyott, +254 20-76249-60, +254 72-42455-50, pamela.tuiyott[at]undp.org
Nanette Braun, +1 917 975-7915, nanette.braun[at]unifem.org