Efforts for the Joint Statement of the Religious leaders of Cyprus on Violence Against Women acknowledged by Swedish MFA 2017 Award
The Office of RTCYPP is happy to share the news that the Embassy of Sweden in Nicosia has been awarded the Swedish Ministry of Foreign Affairs “2017 prize for the work on the Government’s feminist foreign policy in the EU region“ recognizing its efforts to work with and strengthen women’s rights and participation in the Cyprus peace process for a unification of the island. The prize also acknowledges, among others, the efforts undertaken for the Religious Leaders of Cyprus to adopt their unprecedented joint statement condemning all forms of violence against women and girls.
“The Office of RTCYPP is grateful that the 2017 prize to the Swedish Embassy in Nicosia recognizes the significance of its efforts with the religious leaders’ of Cyprus for women and girls. The statement adopted in 2017 to jointly condemn all acts of violence against women and girls was a historic first step forward.” Said Salpy Eskidjian, Executive Coordinator of RTCYPP. “Together with the religious leaders and women’s organizations in Cyprus, the Office of RTCYPP will continue to work hard to turn these words into action.”
On March 8, 2017, the religious leaders of Cyprus, together with Margot Wallström, Foreign Minster of Sweden and Elizabeth Spehar, Special Representative of the UN Secretary General, released their first ever-joint statement which was presented at a ceremony organized and hosted by the Office of RTCYPP at the Ledra Palace Hotel in the UN Controlled Buffer Zone in the presence of the leadership of different faith communities, civil society and women’s organizations, clerics, political parties and municipal leaders as well as members of the diplomatic corps, the EU, UNFICYP, UNDP-PFF and the media.