UN Women is deeply concerned by the escalation of violence in the crisis relating to Gaza. It has taken a catastrophic toll on tens of thousands of civilians, many of whom are women and children.

The Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women, (UN Women), Michelle Bachelet will attend on behalf of the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon , the 43rd Pacific Islands Forum Meeting, to be held in Rarotonga, Cook Islands from the 28th to the 30th of August 2012.

UN Women is hosting a series of consultations throughout the Pacific this week on the theme of eliminating and preventing violence against women and girls.