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All Spotlight Initiative programmes adopted a comprehensive theory of change and worked across all the Spotlight Initiative pillars to develop a comprehensive VAWG programme. The approach taken by Spotlight Initiative Mozambique was as follows:

To support legislation and policies to end VAWG (pillar 1), the Spotlight Initiative worked with the Government of Mozambique to reinforce legislation and policies and develop multiple legal and policy instruments. These instruments included the Multi-sectoral Mechanism for Prevention, Reporting, Referral and Response to Violence Against Children at…

To sustain long-term impacts beyond programming timeframes, it can be useful to focus efforts on establishing gender-equitable policies and mechanisms. For example, laws to end VAWG, gender mainstreaming policies, new gender bodies and mechanisms, and comprehensive sexuality education in national curricula.

In Ecuador, Spotlight Initiative programme has strengthened institutional gender units within various governmental departments, including the Ministry of Education and the Legislative Assembly, which has cultivated a sustained focus on gender issues in the government and ministries that…

Developing detailed sustainability plans with identified financing sources is key to taking forward the most important programming outcomes after closure of the initial programme. Some Spotlight Initiative programmes, such as those in Zimbabwe and Malawi, have conducted an in-depth analysis of programme and financial sustainability to identify which activities should be continued, discontinued, or adapted (adding some elements and dropping others).

In Zimbabwe, this analysis was followed up with the amount of capital needed to continue to implement desired selected activities in the future…

Spotlight Initiative relies on a multi-tiered and multi-sector governance structure at the global and programme levels to make decisions and steer work toward its objective of ending violence against women and girls. From the onset, Spotlight Initiative established a clear governance architecture and administrative arrangement, with three core functions: governance by global and country decision-making bodies, daily management and administration supported by dedicated teams, and implementation by the Recipient UN Organisations (RUNOs).


“A key good practice agreed across all Reference…

In Malawi, Spotlight Initiative aimed to increase collaboration and efficiency between UN agencies by establishing a shared office space known as ‘The Spotlight House’. All core team activities occurred in this office, promoting close inter-agency collaboration, reducing miscommunication and enhancing cost savings. 

The Spotlight House also became a visible symbol in the community with nearby signposts showing the Spotlight Initiative logo and donor banner. This increased recognition of the initiative as a joint EU-UN effort within local communities. 

The success of co-location prompted…

During COVID-19, Spotlight Initiative programmes needed to rapidly pivot programming to respond to the increase in violence against women and girls during the pandemic.

To meet the immediate needs of women and girls experiencing or at risk of violence, Spotlight Initiative Samoa programme took a flexible approach by repurposing its funds to work with the Ministry for Women, Community and Social Development and frontline service providers such as civil society organisations to create and distribute 400 “Prevention Packs” containing information and materials on COVID-19 and GBV translated in…