STORY
The UK and South Africa have launched a new international coalition aimed at preventing violence against women and girls and strengthening accountability for perpetrators. The coalition was announced at the Global Partnerships Conference in London, co-hosted by the UK and South Africa. It brings together eight founding countries: the UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina and Australia. The Government said the initiative would support international work to prevent abuse, improve protection systems and share best practice across borders.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said violence against women and girls was a “global emergency” as well as a national one. The Government said the coalition would build on the UK’s work with South Africa’s Gender-Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund, which supports prevention programmes, survivor services and community-based initiatives.
The coalition will also focus on violence in conflict and humanitarian settings, where women and girls face particular risks. The UK is due to convene a global summit in 2027 to review progress and seek further commitments, with members expected to develop or strengthen national action plans. The announcement also sits alongside the Government’s domestic pledge to halve violence against women and girls within a decade.