International Campaign to Ban
Female Genital Mutilation Worldwide
The Campaign for a worldwide ban on female genital mutilation aims to promote the adoption of a Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly banning this widespread and systematic human rights violation. Our work is to inform and raise awareness among member States, UN Agencies and more widely among our fellow human rights activists about female genital mutilation and about the pivotal role that the United Nations General Assembly has in combating this human rights violation by banning it worldwide.
As part of the Campaign, many of us - Parliamentarians and civil society activists - have campaigned locally for our respective governments to support a United Nations ban on FGM, by getting parliamentary motions adopted, or other measures that commit the government. We are now taking our advocacy to the United Nations itself, going to New York to work with our countries’ missions to ensure that the spotlight remain on female genital mutilation and the need for a UNGA Resolution that bans the practice.
The direct role of activists and parliamentarians from countries afflicted by FGM in the United Nations negotiations is an important and innovative aspect of our work. Their participation is not mediated by the international NGOs or international coalitions, but rather follows directly from their own national and regional lobbying, with their own parliaments and ministries. We hope the action at the international level will increase their ability to effect lasting change in-country, and will lead to their full ownership of the success, when they will get a Resolution adopted, and their ability to make the most of it to change local legislation, policies and practices.
A Resolution of the United Nations General Assembly banning female genital mutilation worldwide will be a pivotal moment in the fight to bring an end to the practice, providing the recognition that FGM is a violation of fundamental human rights. The gravity and the dimensions of this violation demand the attention of the international community as a whole and require that international measures be put in place to eliminate it.
A Resolution with an explicit ban on female genital mutilation will help to complete the shift of perspectives on FGM from a problem of "public health" or a "cultural" problem, to its universal recognition as a human rights violation and a form of violence against women.
The Ban FGM Campaign
WHO HAS ALREADY SIGNED
CHANTAL DE SOUZA YAYI
First Lady of Benin
MARIANA MANA SAHNA
First Lady of Guinea Bissau
JANET KATAHA MUSEVENI
First Lady of Uganda
CHANTAL COMPAORE
First Lady of Burkina Faso
CLIO NAPOLITANO
First Lady of Italy
MOUSHIRA KHATTAB
Minister for Family and Population, Egypt
RAID FAHMI
Minister of Science and Technology, Iraq
NAHA MINT MOUKNASS
Minister for Foreign Affairs, Mauritania
EMMA BONINO
VP of the Senate and founder of NPWJ, Italy
HICHAM EL TALL
Minister of Justice, Jordan
MARIAM LAMIZANA
President of the Inter-African Committee
DESMOND TUTU
Nobel Peace Laureate, South Africa
NADINE GORDIMER
Nobel Laureate of Literature, South Africa
SHIRIN EBADI
Nobel Peace Laureate, Iran
MARTTI AHTISAARI
Nobel Peace Laureate, Finland
GÜNTER BLOBEL
Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Germany
RITA LEVI MONTALCINI
Nobel Laureate in Medicine, Italy
GERARDUS ‘T HOOFT
Nobel Laureate in Physics, Netherlands
ROBERT MUNDELL
Nobel Laureate in Economics, USA
FRANK WILCZEK
Nobel Laureate in Physics, USA
MEMOUNA BABONI YACOUBOU
Presidency adv. for Social Affairs, Benin
VICTORINE ODOUNLAMI
Pres. of CI-AF Benin, Benin
HUGUETTE AKPLOGAN DOSSA
Africa Coordinator of International Federation of Business and Professional Women, Benin
MARIE ROSE SAWADOGO
CNLPE, Burkina Faso
COMFORT EFFIOM
Treasurer of the IAC, Cameroon
GERMAINE ONANGA
President of the CNDF, Congo-Brazzaville
DJIGUIBA CISSÉ
Pres. of Côte d'Ivoire IAC, Côte d'Ivoire
BAMBA MASSANY
Member of Parliament, Côte d'Ivoire
NATAGOMA GON SORO COULIBALY
Ministry of Women’s Affairs, Côte d'Ivoire
SAFIA ELMI DJIBRIL
Member of Parliament, Djibouti
SHAHIRA AMIN
CNN corresp.- Deputy of Nile Int, Egypt
HOSNA RACHID
Chair of Rachid Mashreq Group, Egypt
TSEGGA GAIM MISGUN
NEUW, Eritrea
EYOB ASSEGEDEW
Lawyer and activist, Ethiopia
LINAH J. KILIMO
MP and former Minister, Kenya
JANE THUO
Amwik, Kenya
BABA AHMED BABOU
Member of Parliament, Mauritania
MARIAME BABA SY
Member of the AAWORD, Mauritania
MOSADEQ SAHEBDIN
Deputy Head Master, Mauritius
FATOUMA BOUBÉ
President of CONIPRAT, Niger
SIDIKAT SHITU
President of WOGCEI, Nigeria
KHADY KOITA
President of La Palabre, Senegal
EL HADJI MALICK DIOP
Member of Parliament, Senegal
NDÈYE SOUKÈYE GUEYE
Director, Ministry for Family, Senegal
LAUREL BANGURA
Director, FGM-Sierra Leone
ABDOUL RAHIM KAMARA
Manifesto 99, Sierra Leone
WARIS DIRIE
UN Special Ambassador for the elimination of Female Genital Mutilation, Somalia
EMAD ABDEEN
Pres. of Entishar Charity Society, Sudan
ATSOH LARBA APOUDJAK
Member of Parliament ,Togo
BOLAGBÉDÉ BANKATI
President of Togo IAC, Togo
YAO ENYONAM KPOGO
FGM Director, Min. for Social Affairs, Togo
MOHSEN MARZOUK
Human Rights Defender, Tunisia
REBECCA ALITWALA KADAGA
Deputy Speaker of the Parliament, Uganda
DORA BYAMUKAMA
Member of Parliament, Uganda
CHRIS BARYOUMUNSI
Member of Parliament, Uganda
BEATRICE CHELANGAT
Coordinator of REACH-Uganda, Uganda
CHRIS ONGOM
Coordinator, Uganda Victims Foundation, Uganda
MORISSANDA KOUYATÉ
Head of Operations, IAC
BAKHTIAR AMIN
Former Human Rights Minister, Iraq
SAFIA AL SOUHAIL
Member of Parliament, Iraq
ALA TALABANI
Member of Parliament, Iraq
HAJIM AL-HASSANI
Former Speaker of Parliament, Iraq
ADNAN ABOU-ODEH
Former Political Adv. to the King, Jordan
KAMIL ABU JABIR
Former Foreign Minister, Jordan
ZEINA EL-TIBI
Al-Ayam, La Revue du Liban, Lebanon
HAIFA FAHOUM AL KAYLANI
Founder and Chairperson of the AIWF
RANDA EID
SG of AIWA, Syria-Italy
MARCO PANNELLA
President of the Nonviolent Radical Party
GARETH EVANS
Former Foreign Minister, Australia
JEAN-LUC DEHAENE
Former Prime Minister, Belgium
ELS LEYE
ICRH, Belgium
NATHALIE GILSON
Ixelles Deputy Mayor, Belgium
LOUISE ARBOUR
President of Int’l Crisis Group, Canada
RICARDO LAGOS
Former President of Chile
ANTIGONI PAPADOPOLOU
Member of EU Parliament, Cyprus
UFFE ELLEMANN
Former Foreign Minister, Denmark
ERKKI TOUMIOJA
MP and former Foreign Minister, Finland
HAUTALA HEIDI
Member of EU Parliament, Finland
JEAN-MARIE GUEHENNO
Former UN-USG DPKO, France
LINDA WEIL-CURIEL
President of the CAMS, France
JOSCHKA FISCHER
Former Foreign Minister, Germany
DANIEL COHN-BENDIT
Member of EU Parliament, Germany
MARY ROBINSON
Former UNHCHR and President, Ireland
JOE HIGGINS
Member of EU Parliament, Ireland
BAIRBRE DE BRUN
Member of EU Parliament, Ireland
GIULIANO AMATO
Former Prime Minister, Italy
SERGIO STANZANI
President of No Peace Without Justice, Italy
DEBORA SERRACCHIANI
Member of EU Parliament, Italy
BRIGID INDER
Executive Director, Women's Initiatives for Gender Justice, Netherland
GRO BRUNDTLAND
Former Prime Minister, Norway
SIDONIA E. JEDRZEJEWSKA
Member of EU Parliament, Poland
TERESA GOUVEIA
Former Foreign Minister, Portugal
JAVIER SOLANA
Former Foreign Minister, Spain
ANA PALACIO
Former Foreign Minister, Spain
LENA HJELM-WALLÉN
Former Dep. Prime Minister, Sweden
JAN ELIASSON
Former Amb. to the UN, Sweden
CARL SCHLYTER
Member of EU Parliament, Sweden
HON THE LORD PATTEN OF BARNES
Former EU Commissioner, UK
TIMOTHY GARTON ASH
Professor Oxford University, UK
HON THE LORD ERIC AVEBURY
Vice-Chair, Parliamentary Human Rights Group, UK
GEORGE LYON
Member of EU Parliament, Scotland, UK
HONEYBALL MARY
Member of EU Parliament, UK
JAMES HEATHER
Chairman of Twickenham and Richmond United Nations Association, UK
MORTON ABRAMOWITZ
Former US Assistant Sec. of State, USA
...AND MANY OTHERS
This website is managed by No Peace Without Justice, an international NGO committed to globally eliminating FGM.