Resolution number: 06
Title: Liberal International and INLW launch Istanbul Convention Campaign

Adopted by the 60th Congress of Liberal International.

The Congress of Liberal International, convened in Mexico City, DF, Mexico, on 31 October 2015

Recalling:

• The Resolution on “Preventing and combating Violence against Women through the ‘Istanbul Convention’ of the Council of Europe”, which was adopted by the 59th Congress
• The commemoration this year (2015) of the 20th anniversary of the UN Beijing Platform for Action.
• The awarding of Ms Waris Dirie of the 2014 LI Prize for Freedom for her endeavours to bring global attention to the suffering inflicted by female genital mutilation (FGM).

Noting:

• The Convention on preventing and combating violence against women and domestic violence of the Council of Europe (Istanbul Convention), is the furthest reaching international treaty to tackle violence against women and domestic violence and also protects men, children and the elderly.
• The Istanbul Convention was signed by 31 member states of the Council of Europe and entered into force on 1st August 2014, but has only been ratified by 18 of these nations.
• INLW and LI launched a call through written and oral statements at the UN Human Rights Council to globalize the content of the Istanbul Convention by incorporating it into a new all-encompassing international women’s rights framework

Shocked by the facts:

• 1 in 10 girls in the world experiences forced sexual activity
• Over 130 million women have experienced FGM
• Worldwide, more than 700 million women alive today were child brides
• Women and girls are increasingly victims of horrific practices by different extremist terrorist groups like Boko Haram and Daesh.

Considering that:

• LI and INLW have launched the “Istanbul Convention Campaign” in which they call upon their members to take an active part.

Calls upon liberal parties, leaders and parliamentarians:

• To promote signing and ratification of the Istanbul Convention by all member states
• To support a global women rights legal framework, which addresses violence against women both as a form of discrimination and of a human rights violation, and to request their government to include this priority in its foreign affairs agenda
• To join LI online during the 16 days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence Campaign from 25.11-10.12.2015; and to Tweet, Facebook and blog about violence against women, domestic violence, and the importance of the Istanbul Convention using the official LI “Istanbul Convention Campaign” hashtag; #1in10neveragain
• The LI Executive Committee to set up a Campaign Committee and include reports on its work on every committee meeting