A/RES/73/149
Intensifying global efforts for the elimination of female genital mutilation
Reaffirming further the Beijing Declaration 10 and Platform for Action, 11 the
outcomes of the twenty-third special session of the General Assembly, entitled
“Women 2000: gender equality, development and peace for the twenty -first
century”, 12 the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population
and Development 13 and the Programme of Action of the World Summit for Social
Development 14 and their 5-, 10-, 15- and 20-year reviews, as well as the United
Nations Millennium Declaration, 15 and the commitments relevant to women and girls
made at the 2005 World Summit 16 and reiterated in Assembly resolution 65/1 of
22 September 2010, entitled “Keeping the promise: united to achieve the Millennium
Development Goals”, and those made in the outcome document of the United Nations
summit for the adoption of the post-2015 development agenda, entitled
“Transforming our world: the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development ”, 17
Recognizing the role of regional and subregional instruments and mechanisms
in the prevention and elimination of female genital mutilation, where they exist,
Recalling Agenda 2063 of the African Union and the Protocol to the African
Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, adopted in
Maputo on 11 July 2003, which contains, inter alia, undertakings and commitments
on ending female genital mutilation and marks a significant milestone towards the
elimination and ending of female genital mutilation,
Recalling also the decision of the African Union, adopted in Malabo on 1 July
2011, to support the adoption by the General Assembly at its sixty-sixth session of a
resolution banning female genital mutilation,
Recognizing that female genital mutilation constitutes irreparable, irreversible
harm and an act of violence against women and girls that impair s and undermines the
enjoyment of their human rights, and recognizing also that it affects many women and
girls who are at risk of being subjected to the practice throughout the world, which is
an impediment to the full achievement of gender equality and t he empowerment of
women and girls,
Reaffirming that female genital mutilation is a harmful practice constituting a
serious threat to the health of women and girls, including their physical, mental,
sexual and reproductive health, that it has no documented health benefits, that it may
give rise to possible adverse obstetric and prenatal outcomes and may increase
vulnerability to hepatitis C, tetanus, sepsis, urine retention and ulceration, as well as
to fatal consequences for the mother and child, and that the elimination of this harmful
practice can be achieved as a result of a comprehensive movement that involves all
public and private stakeholders in society, including women and men, girls and boys,
families, communities, religious leaders and local community and traditional leaders,
Recognizing that female genital mutilation is inherently linked to deep -rooted
harmful stereotypes, negative social norms, perceptions and customs on the part of
both women and men that threaten the physical and psychological integrity of women
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11
12
13
14
15
16
17
2/7
Report of the Fourth World Conference on Women, Beijing, 4–15 September 1995 (United
Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.13), chap. I, resolution 1, annex I.
Ibid., annex II.
Resolution S-23/2, annex, and resolution S-23/3, annex.
Report of the International Conference on Population and Development, Cairo, 5–13 September
1994 (United Nations publication, Sales No. E.95.XIII.18), chap. I, resolution 1, annex.
Report of the World Summit for Social Development, Copenhagen, 6–12 March 1995 (United
Nations publication, Sales No. E.96.IV.8), chap. I, resolution 1, annex II.
Resolution 55/2.
See resolution 60/1.
Resolution 70/1.
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