Stand, Speak and Rise up!

The EIB supports and participates to “Stand, Speak and Rise up!”, the international conference on sexual violence in fragile environments that will take place on 26 and 27 March 2019, at the initiative of the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg and her Foundation.

The conference aims to expand the scale and impact of existing efforts to support survivors of sexual violence, place them at the heart of the intervention process and to unite fragmented initiatives and scale them for global impact. It is conceived as a platform for discussion and exchange between survivors and key actors from across the international community in the fight against sexual violence in fragile environment.

The EIB invests in many fragile environments – countries with ongoing violence (like Ukraine or Mali), recovering from a conflict (Sierra Leone or Colombia), welcoming refugees (like Jordan) or at risk of instability (Burundi or Nicaragua).

At the EIB, we believe that investing in fragile environments is an enabler for recovery. We do so in a way that protects and upholds human rights, contributes to peacebuilding, and safeguards women, girls and other survivors of sexual violence against the heightened risks they face in such contexts.

This is one of the reasons why, in April 2018, we signed, with nine other international financial institutions, a joint statement reaffirming our commitment to preventing sexual harassment, abuse and exploitation, both within our institution and in our operations.

Our participation in this high-level conference, is a new way to demonstrate this commitment. EIB Vice-President Alexander Stubb will participate in a fireside chat hosted by HRH the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg, together with Atifete Jahjaga (former President of Kosovo) and Clare Hutchinson (NATO Special Envoy). EIB Senior International Press Officer Shirin Wheeler will moderate a workshop on “Innovating Technology and Finance for Good”.