Canada signs Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence Against Women
News release
March 7, 2025 - Washington, D.C. - Global Affairs Canada
The Honourable Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs, and the Honourable Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth, are pleased to announce that today, Canada signed the Inter-American Convention on the Prevention, Punishment and Eradication of Violence against Women (Belém do Pará Convention).
Through signature, Canada reiterates its long-standing commitment to human rights, gender equality and the prevention and eradication of gender-based violence.
Through the convention, Canada will continue its efforts to eliminate gender-based violence and prevent gender-related homicides at home and internationally. Amid increased attacks on human rights defenders and growing global uncertainty, Canadian leadership in promoting and protecting human rights as a core element of Canada’s feminist foreign policy is more important than ever.
The Belém do Pará Convention is instrumental in advancing women’s rights and in providing a framework for states parties to address and eradicate violence against women, one of the most pervasive and deeply rooted human rights violations and abuses of our time.
With its signature on the convention, Canada shows its alignment with several existing federal, provincial and territorial efforts. This includes the 10-year National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence, launched in 2022 to ensure a truly national approach and to better coordinate federal, provincial and territorial actions in this regard.
Quotes
“On the eve of International Women’s Day, we are announcing Canada’s signature to the Belém do Pará Convention. This advances Canada’s commitment to the empowerment of all women and girls, and the promotion, protection and full realization of their human rights, which are key values central to Canada’s international assistance and its foreign and domestic policies. It is absolutely imperative that Canada does everything it can to address gender-based violence.”
- Mélanie Joly, Minister of Foreign Affairs
“Gender-based violence takes lives and deeply impacts our communities. With the increasing presence and influence of regressive and anti-feminist ideologies, it is more critical than ever to take concrete action to protect women’s rights and prevent gender-related homicides. The signing of the Belém do Pará Convention is bringing us a step closer to building a safer world where women, girls and gender-diverse people can live free from violence.”
- Marci Ien, Minister for Women and Gender Equality and Youth
Quick facts
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Canada’s signature on the Belém do Pará Convention is the first of a two-step process to becoming a state party to the convention.
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This signature complements Canada’s existing obligations under international human rights law, including under the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, which Canada, one of the first countries to do so, ratified in 1981.
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The Government of Canada has invested $539.3 million over 5 years (2022 to 2027), including $525 million over 4 years to support provinces and territories in their efforts to implement the National Action Plan to End Gender-Based Violence. Women and Gender Equality Canada published the first annual progress report, which highlights actions by jurisdictions in the first year of implementation of their respective bilateral agreements. The Government of Quebec’s efforts toward ending gender-based violence are highlighted in its progress report (in French only).
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