Royal Princess of Thailand receives award for her outstanding engagement on ending violence against women and girls: On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, the UN Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM) today honoured HRH Princess Bajrakitiyabha Mahidol of Thailand for her exceptional contribution to ending violence against women.

In an awards ceremony held at UN headquarters in New York and attended by high-level Thai officials and UNIFEM staff, Deputy Executive Director Joanne Sandler, congratulated the princess on her exemplary engagement on the issue and for being the public face of UNIFEM’s advocacy initiative Say NO to Violence against Women in Thailand.

In 2008, as part of the first phase of Say NO, the initiative generated more than 5 million signatures- including from 69 Governments and nearly 600 Parliamentarians - which were presented to the UN Secretary-General.  About 3 million of the signatures came from Thailand alone.

Speaking at a press conference with the UN Secretary –General Ban Ki-moon earlier in the day the Princess underlined this year theme for the International Day: engaging men and boys in ending violence against women. “While there may be no one-size fits all solutions; I strongly believe that prevention can be as effective as the cure, if not better. So it is encouraging when men leaders have resolved to confront gender-based violence head on, particularly through fostering the culture of tolerance and respect for women”, she said. She also shared her experiences from the Say NO campaign where she had as UNIFEM’s Goodwill Ambassador led an extensive media campaign in Thailand with personal appearances and urged all segments of society to get involved.

As UNIFEM’s Goodwill Ambassador for Thailand the Royal Princess is now working with the country’s Ministries of Education and Justice and the UNIFEM Office in Bangkok to increase outreach to students and to make ending violence against women a part of the school curriculum. In November 2009, UNIFEM launched the next phase of Say NO and is showcasing the Thailand initiative as a key example of the kind of work that needs to be done to end the pandemic of violence that affects women and girls worldwide.

The newly launched advocacy-action platform Say No - UNiTE will be a direct contribution to the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign with a new focus on stimulating, showcasing and counting actions to end violence against women. Throughout the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women and during the ensuing 16 days of activism, the International Parliamentary Union with parliaments around the world will engage through this platform on the issue of violence against women. Hundreds of non-governmental organizations are also expected to showcase their actions on the Say NO platform and the International Trade Union Confederation representing 170 million workers in 158 countries has called on their members to support the initiative as well.