Women and girls in South Africa and across the globe stand to benefit from a new international coalition to tackle violence and abuse, launched today at the Global Partnerships Conference in London, co‑hosted by the United Kingdom and South Africa.
Led by the UK Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper, the coalition brings together eight founding countries, including South Africa, and reflects a shared UK and South Africa vision of development grounded in partnership, mutual respect and country‑led priorities, with a strong focus on social inclusion and protecting the most vulnerable.
It builds on the UK’s long‑standing work with South Africa’s Gender‑Based Violence and Femicide Response Fund, which supports prevention programmes, survivor services and community‑based initiatives.
Violence against women and girls affects one in three women globally. In South Africa, where gender‑based violence remains a national priority, joining the coalition strengthens ongoing efforts to prevent domestic abuse, tackle sexual violence and respond to emerging risks such as online harm.
Through the coalition, member countries – UK, South Africa, Brazil, Morocco, Spain, Jamaica, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Australia – will work together to
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scale up prevention efforts, including community‑based and whole‑of‑society approaches
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strengthen protection systems for women and girls
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share expertise and best practice across borders
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improve accountability for perpetrators of violence
The coalition will also focus on violence in conflict and humanitarian settings, recognising the disproportionate risks faced by women and girls in fragile and crisis‑affected contexts.
This announcement builds on the broader agenda of the Global Partnerships Conference, which emphasises that sustainable development must include social inclusion, strong institutions, and the protection of human rights. Ending violence against women and girls is seen as central to achieving these goals.
Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper said
Violence against women and girls is a global emergency not just a national emergency. We are determined to work across borders to ensure women’s safety is a worldwide priority.
I’m delighted to launch this Coalition with countries around the world that share our ambition. Because from the UK, to Brazil, to South Africa and beyond, women deserve to live free from fear of violence. And because there can be no peace, security, or prosperity for any of us until they do.
Looking ahead, the UK will convene a global summit in 2027 to track progress and encourage further commitments, with coalition members expected to develop and strengthen national action plans.
The initiative also complements wider UK efforts to combat violence against women and girls, including a commitment to halve such crimes domestically within a decade, and sustained international funding for prevention, protection and response programmes.