The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an annual international campaign that kicks off on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, and runs until 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was started by activists at the inaugural Women’s Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and continues to be coordinated each year by the Center for Women’s Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. As in previous years, the colour orange is used to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls, as a unifying theme running through all the global activities of the UNiTE Campaign.

In  support of this civil society initiative, the United Nations Secretary-General’s UNiTE by 2030 to End Violence against Women campaign (UNiTE campaign) calls for global actions to increase awareness, galvanize advocacy efforts, and share knowledge and innovations. The EU-UN Spotlight Initiative represents a comprehensive, multistakeholder model driven by a commitment to leave no one behind which is making significant progress in preventing and eliminating violence against women and girls. The global theme for this year’s 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, which run from 25 November to 10 December 2021, is “Orange the world: End violence against women now!”