Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict: Day One

Today at the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, U.K. Foreign Secretary William Hague and Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie delivered opening remarks. At that time, Foreign Secretary Hague announced that the United Kingdom will pledge additional funds to support survivors of sexual violence in conflict.

The program for the first day of the summit focused on youth. According to Foreign Secretary Hague, experts will gather tomorrow to discuss a range of issues such as collecting evidence, protecting children, and confronting sexual exploitation. On Wednesday and Thursday, government officials from around the world will convene. The summit concludes on Friday.

We must send a message around the world that there is no disgrace in being a survivor of sexual violence, that the shame is with the aggressor.

Special Envoy of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees Angelina Jolie

The U.S. Department of State announced that U.S. Under Secretary of State for Civilian Security, Democracy, and Human Rights Sarah Sewall will travel to London from June 11 to 13 to represent the United States at the summit.

At the summit, Under Secretary Sewall will speak at a session within the opening ministerial plenary, which will focus on the roles and responsibilities of states and political actors in addressing sexual violence in conflict and post conflict. According to the Department of State, “The United States has been a key supporter of this effort and believes that addressing sexual violence in conflict is a matter of national security.”

The delegation from the United States will be led by Secretary of State John Kerry, who travels to London on Friday to participate in the summit, and will also include senior officials from the Department of State and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), including Ambassador-at-Large for Global Women’s Issues Catherine Russell; Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues Stephen Rapp; Special Envoy for the Great Lakes Region and the Democratic Republic of the Congo Russ Feingold; and principals from the Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration; the Bureau of International Organization Affairs; the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor; and USAID’s Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance.

Watch for updates tomorrow from day two of the summit.