A/HRC/32/42 I. Introduction 1. In the present report, submitted to the Human Rights Council pursuant to its resolution 23/25, the Special Rapporteur on violence against women, its causes and consequences outlines her activities and sets out her vision of the mandate, and the methods of work she intends to use throughout it. 2. The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the previous mandate holders for the enormous amount of work carried out in the 22 years of the existence of the mandate, which has become a visible and credible tool for providing key recommendations to States, the ultimate bearers of the responsibility to protect women and girls from violence and genderbased discrimination, but also to civil society actors, other stakeholders and the international community. At the same time, however, the legal and policy landscape around the mandate has changed owing to developments in international and regional frameworks and mechanisms on violence against women that direct the mandate, reshaping its role and its focus on prevention, implementation challenges and collaboration with all other relevant global and regional mechanisms in order to accelerate the elimination of violence against women, its causes and consequences. II. Activities of the Special Rapporteur A. Reporting 3. On 12 October 2015, the Special Rapporteur addressed the General Assembly, at its seventieth session, for the first time in her official capacity as Special Rapporteur. She informed the Assembly that she would continue the work initiated by previous mandate holders in building partnerships and synergies with all stakeholders in the fight against violence against women and girls, its causes and consequences, on the basis of a comprehensive and universal approach to its elimination. She highlighted the huge implementation gap, and pointed out that, at this time, the main task is to close that gap and to accelerate the full incorporation and implementation of international, regional and national instruments, policy documents and recommendations to combat and prevent violence against women, and to protect victims through the provisions of adequate support services at the national level, including reparations and prosecution of perpetrators. She also mentioned some of the priorities of the mandate that will be developed below. She noted the last reports of the previous mandate holder (A/70/209 and A/HRC/29/27) and invited all interested stakeholders to send their views and proposals on any actions needed to improve the current framework and implementation gaps to her. 4. On 13 October 2015, on the margins of the General Assembly, the Special Rapporteur participated in an event organized by the Permanent Mission of Switzerland, where she explained her vision on the role of men and boys in achieving Sustainable Development Goal 5 on gender equality, and highlighted that the principle of gender equality was essential for the full enjoyment of civil, political, social, economic and development rights by both women and girls, on an equal footing with men and boys. On 14 October 2015, she took part in an event on the theme, “Bridging the agendas: women, peace and security and preventing violent extremism”, during the launch of the global study 4