IPS examines efforts to end violence against women, including U.N. Trust Fund and International Day

Inter Press Service profiles the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women, writing, "Since it launched in 1997, [it] has distributed more than 78 million dollars to 339 projects around the world, but even these resources fall far short, meeting less than five percent of demand." Noting that the Fund "provides services to women and girl survivors of violence, including legal aid, health care, shelter and psychosocial support," the news service highlights a number of programs supported by the Fund through past grants and writes, "This year alone, more than 2,500 applications requesting about 1.2 billion dollars for programs across 123 countries have been received."

"At the official U.N commemoration to mark the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the 15th anniversary of the U.N. Trust Fund on Wednesday, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon called for more donors to help reach 100 million dollars for the campaign by 2015," according to IPS. Michelle Bachelet, a U.N. under-secretary-general and the executive director of U.N. Women, also spoke at the event, IPS notes, adding, "To mark the start of the 16 Days of Activism on the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, Bachelet outlined a 16-step policy to end violence against women," which includes "ratifying treaties and revising laws, providing universal access to emergency services for survivors of violence and mobilizing communities through public education and advocacy" (Siagian, 11/26).