Ceremony honours five OSCE Ambassadors for their efforts to promote gender equality

Five Ambassadors to the OSCE were honoured today by the OSCE Secretary General Lamberto Zannier for their efforts to promote gender equality both within the Organization and in the OSCE region.

In a ceremony at the Hofburg in Vienna, Zannier awarded white ribbons to Ambassadors Vuk Žugić of Serbia, Giedrius Čekuolis of Lithuania, Ismatullo Nasredinov of Tajikistan, Fredrik Löjdquist of Sweden, and Philip McDonagh of Ireland.

The event took place as part of the 16 Days of Activism Against Gender Violence. This international campaign for action started on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November and lasts until 10 December, which is International Human Rights Day.

The ribbons are the emblem of the global White Ribbon campaign, which is the world’s largest movement of men and boys working to end violence against women and girls and promote gender equality. Wearing a white ribbon is a pledge to never commit, condone or remain silent about violence against women and girls.

The event also marks the second anniversary of the OSCE MenEngage network, set up in 2012 to garner men’s support for OSCE’s efforts to advance the rights of women and girls, which is one of the top priorities of the Organization. It complements the many projects throughout the OSCE region, including specialized police and judicial training sessions, supporting women leaders and helping boys and young men understand and promote tolerance and non-violence.