SPORTS
Baku hosts bike race under motto "Leave no one behind: End violence against women and girls"
Baku, November 25, AZERTAC
Co-organized by the UN Baku office, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, Azerbaijan Cycling Federation, and the Heydar Aliyev Center a bike race under the motto "Leave no one behind: End violence against women and girls" has been held in Baku.
More than 100 aspiring cyclists took part in the bike tour. They covered a total of 12km, cycling from the Azneft Square to the Heydar Aliyev Center.
Participants in the event included the UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai, representatives of the diplomatic corps accredited in Azerbaijan, velo sport amateurs, and representatives of general public.
Addressing the event participants, Isaczai highlighted gender-based violence. He said the race is part of the 16 days of campaign Against Gender-Based Violence, which is an international campaign to challenge violence against women and girls. He thanked the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs, the Azerbaijan Cycling Federation and Heydar Aliyev Center for assistance in organizing the event.
The campaign runs every year from 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. This campaign has been used as an organizing strategy by individuals and groups around the world to call for the elimination of all forms of violence against women by raising awareness about gender-based violence as a human rights issue at the local, national, regional and international levels, strengthening local work around violence against women and demonstrating the solidarity of women around the world organizing against violence against women.
The current campaign has been organized in Azerbaijan since 2008. US Agency for International Development (USAID), UN Population Fund (UNFPA), UN Development Program, UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), UN International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF), UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), Organization of the Spouses of the Heads of Missions (SHOM), Heydar Aliyev Center, the State Committee for Family, Women and Children Affairs and Azerbaijan Cycling Federation are the key official partners and supporters of the event.