Gal Gadot
Gal GadotReuters

Israel’s Ambassador to the United States and United Nations Gilad Erdan and US Ambassador to the UN Linda Thomas-Greenfield, with a special message from actress Gal Gadot, will co-host their first joint event on Wednesday, March 17, urging nations of the world to unite and apply innovative technologies to the global fight against domestic violence.

Data from around the world shows a shocking increase in the number of domestic violence cases over the past year. The United Nations Women’s group has termed it a “shadow pandemic” – a pandemic within a pandemic.

Experts point out that unlike in the global fight against other forms of violence, methods used to deal with this heartbreaking phenomenon have not been updated for more than five decades.

“The coronavirus has affected each one of us, but there is no doubt that women have suffered much more. Domestic violence has intensified and is clearly another global epidemic that we must tackle in the same way we do any other threat,” said Ambassador Erdan, who initiated the event.

“Israel has already implemented new technologies in this fight and we will continue to do everything we can to prevent the next attack. I hope that this event will prompt other countries to adopt these new tools – we must do whatever we can to stop this despicable terror at home.”

Set to take place on the sidelines of the UN’s meeting of the Committee on the Status of Women, the high-level event will feature a call for action from actress Gal Gadot and showcase Israeli innovations and technologies already being implemented to help women in violent and abusive relationships.

Ambassador Erdan and Ambassador Thomas-Greenfeld will deliver public remarks, along with the European Union’s UN Ambassador Olof Skoog, who chairs the UN’s Group of Friends for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls, and Assistant Secretary General and Deputy Executive Director at UN Women Åsa Regnér. Jacqueline Fuller, VP Google and President of Google.org, will also speak at the event.

Organized with the Michal Sela Forum, an Israeli NGO named for a young woman murdered by her husband in front of their infant daughter and dedicated to preventing anyone else from suffering the same fate, and the UJA Federation of New York, the event will urge the world to strive for zero cases of women murdered.

“The support for this initiative is enormous and heartwarming, both in Israel and around the world,” said Lili Ben Ami, Chairperson of the Michal Sela Forum and Michal Sela’s sister. “We are wholly encouraged to have new voices join us in the fight to stop violence against women by harnessing innovation. With the countries of the United Nations and now Wonder Woman at our side, we will not stop until we reach zero murders a year.”

Linor Abargil will moderate the event, which will be broadcast live around the world and can be joined via the social media accounts of Ambassador Erdan and the Israeli Mission to the UN. The event will begin at 12:00 p.m. Eastern Time.