Let me first take this opportunity to thank all the active members of the Call to Action network for their tremendous efforts to fight gender-based violence in emergencies.
I would also like to express my gratitude to the Government of Canada for its leadership, and to congratulate Denmark on assuming the chairmanship of this important network.
From 1 October, Norway will be co-chairing the Call to Action States and Donors Working Group together with the UK.
The prevention of and response to sexual and gender-based violence must be given high priority. This is not a stand-alone issue. Protecting those at risk and assisting the survivors of such acts of violence must be at the core of both our humanitarian response and our longer-term efforts to promote peace and development.
Norway will continue to keep SGBV high on the agenda. I hope that as many as possible will join us at the follow-up event to the Conference in Oslo last year, which will take place at 10:00 EST on Monday.