New international coalition launched to end violence against women and girls globally – GOV.UK

Report on the Launch of an International Coalition to End Violence Against Women and Girls

Introduction: A Global Initiative for Sustainable Development Goals

On December 2nd, 2025, a new global coalition, ‘All In’, was launched to combat violence against women and girls (VAWG). This initiative directly addresses the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals, particularly SDG 5 (Gender Equality) and SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions). The coalition’s formation, announced by the UK Foreign Secretary, marks a significant step in accelerating political commitment and investment to eliminate VAWG, a critical barrier to sustainable development.

Coalition Objectives and Alignment with SDG 5

The ‘All In’ coalition is fundamentally aligned with SDG Target 5.2: “Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres.” Its primary mission is to create a global platform for action, evidence-sharing, and investment to prevent VAWG.

• To accelerate political commitments to end VAWG.
• To secure sustained investment in prevention programs.
• To share evidence and best practices on a global scale.
• To address emerging threats, such as digital violence, in line with the focus of the Sixteen Days of Global Activism.

A Multi-Stakeholder Partnership for the Goals (SDG 17)

Reflecting the principles of SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals), the ‘All In’ coalition is a multi-stakeholder initiative bringing together governments, philanthropic organizations, and civil society leaders. This collaborative approach is essential for achieving comprehensive and lasting change.

Founding and Key Members:

• Co-founders: The United Kingdom, The Ford Foundation, Wellspring Philanthropic Fund.
• Panel Representatives:
  • Harriet Harman (UK Special Envoy for Women and Girls)
  • Tarana Burke (Founder of the #MeToo movement)
  • Ellen Johnson Sirleaf (Former President of Liberia)
  • Graça Machel (Former Minister of Education in Mozambique)

UK Strategic Action Plan for SDG Implementation

The UK government has outlined a three-pronged strategic approach to contribute to the coalition’s goals and advance the SDGs. This plan integrates domestic policy with international foreign policy to create a cohesive strategy against VAWG.

1. Global Knowledge Exchange: Share and learn from international best practices, such as the UK’s ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ initiative and Spain’s domestic abuse perpetrator database, to build stronger global institutions (SDG 16).
2. Integrating VAWG into Peace and Security Policy: Actively work to tackle the use of rape as a weapon of war in conflict zones, directly contributing to SDG 16.1 (Significantly reduce all forms of violence).
3. Combating Tech-Enabled Abuse: Enhance international cooperation between government, policing, and civil society to fight cross-border digital crimes against women and girls. This includes a £4.85 million investment to expand platforms like StopNCII.org, which removes non-consensual intimate images online.

The Global Context: The Urgency for SDG 5 and SDG 16

The launch occurs amidst a global emergency that undermines progress on gender equality and peace. The statistics underscore the critical need for this coalition:

• Globally, one in three women will experience physical or sexual violence.
• An estimated 140 women and girls are killed daily by a partner or family member.
• The use of rape as a weapon of war is escalating in conflict zones, representing a profound violation of human rights and a threat to peace and security (SDG 16).
• The rapid growth of technology has created new vectors for abuse, making international laws and enforcement mechanisms inadequate.

The UK Foreign Secretary pledged to go ‘All In’ to ensure women and girls globally can thrive free from violence and fear, a vision central to the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The article’s central theme is the launch of a global coalition to end violence against women and girls. This directly aligns with SDG 5, which aims to achieve gender equality and empower all women and girls. The text explicitly discusses physical, sexual, and digital violence, domestic abuse, and the killing of women by partners, all of which are primary concerns of this goal.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

  The article connects violence against women to broader issues of peace and security, mentioning that “rape is increasingly being used as a weapon of war” in conflict zones like Sudan, Ukraine, and Gaza. It also discusses the need for effective systems, laws, and enforcement to pursue perpetrators and support victims, which relates to building just and strong institutions as promoted by SDG 16.

• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

  The article is about the formation of a “major new global coalition” named ‘All In’, co-founded by the UK, the Ford Foundation, and the Wellspring Philanthropic Fund. This initiative brings together “international leaders, experts and influential personalities” and involves collaboration with “policing, civil society and international partners.” This multi-stakeholder approach to tackling a global issue is the essence of SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• Targets under SDG 5 (Gender Equality)

  • Target 5.2: Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation. The article is entirely focused on this target, with the coalition’s mission being to “tackle violence against women and girls.” It cites statistics like “one in three women and girls will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime” and the UK’s goal to “halve violence against women and girls… within a decade.”
  • Target 5.b: Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women. The article highlights the problem of “digital violence” and “cross-border online abuse.” It announces new support to tackle this, including expanding “StopNCII.org,” a system that works with tech platforms like TikTok and Instagram to remove non-consensual intimate images. This is a direct application of technology to protect women and girls.

• Targets under SDG 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions)

  • Target 16.1: Significantly reduce all forms of violence and related death rates everywhere. The article addresses this by highlighting the high death rates, stating “140 women and girls killed every day by a partner or close relative.” It also discusses making violence against women and girls “part of policies on peace and security in order to tackle the use of rape as a weapon of war.”
  • Target 16.2: End abuse, exploitation, trafficking and all forms of violence against and torture of children. Since the focus is on “women and girls,” this target is relevant. The coalition’s aim to prevent and tackle violence directly contributes to ending abuse and violence against girls.

• Targets under SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals)

  • Target 17.16: Enhance the global partnership for sustainable development, complemented by multi-stakeholder partnerships that mobilize and share knowledge, expertise, technology and financial resources. The ‘All In’ coalition is a perfect example of this target. The article states it will “share evidence and best practice” and is co-founded by a government (UK) and philanthropic foundations, bringing together diverse partners to achieve a common goal.
  • Target 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private and civil society partnerships. The coalition itself is a public-private-civil society partnership, involving the UK government, foundations, and civil society leaders like Tarana Burke, founder of the #MeToo movement. The mention of working with tech platforms like “TikTok, Instagram and X” on the StopNCII.org initiative is another example of a public-private partnership.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Indicators for SDG 5 Targets

  • For Target 5.2: The article provides baseline statistics that serve as indicators of the prevalence of violence. These include:
    • “Globally, one in three women and girls will experience physical or sexual violence in their lifetime.” (Relates to Indicator 5.2.1 and 5.2.2 on the proportion of women subjected to physical, sexual, or psychological violence).
    • “140 women and girls killed every day by a partner or close relative.” (This is a measure of femicide, a key aspect of violence against women).
    • “In the UK, one in eight women experienced domestic abuse, stalking or sexual assault last year.” (A national-level indicator for prevalence).
  • For Target 5.b: Progress can be measured by the effectiveness and expansion of technological tools. The article implies an indicator by mentioning the expansion of “StopNCII.org” to “remove and block non-consensual intimate images.” The number of images removed or the number of participating platforms could be used as a metric.

• Indicators for SDG 16 Targets

  • For Target 16.1: The article directly cites a key statistic related to Indicator 16.1.1 (Number of victims of intentional homicide). The figure “140 women and girls killed every day by a partner or close relative – more than 50,000 a year” is a direct measure of violent death rates within this specific demographic. The mention of “rape… as a weapon of war” in conflict zones implies tracking conflict-related sexual violence, which relates to Indicator 16.1.2 (Conflict-related deaths).

• Indicators for SDG 17 Targets

  • For Target 17.16/17.17: The article implies indicators through the actions and commitments of the partnership. These include:
    • The establishment and operation of the ‘All In’ coalition itself.
    • Financial commitments, such as the “£4.85 million Integrated Security Fund package” announced by the UK government. (Relates to Indicator 17.17.1 on the amount of money committed to partnerships).
    • The sharing of knowledge and best practices, such as the UK sharing learnings from its ‘What Works to Prevent Violence’ initiative and Spain’s perpetrator database.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: gov.uk