Mobilising continental action to eliminate violence against women and girls: Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme

ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia - Across the African continent, violence against women and girls remains one of the most urgent moral crises of our time. It is not a statistical irregularity to be filed away in progress reports, but a fundamental breakdown of our collective social contract. Today, 1 in 3 women across Africa has experienced physical or sexual violence from an intimate partner - a rate significantly higher than the global average, which sits at 17 per cent in sub-Saharan Africa compared to 13 per cent globally, according to data from the World Health Organization and UN Women. With over 144 million survivors of Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and more than 1 in 3 young women facing child marriage, the structural drivers of gender inequality require deep, systemic intervention rather than disorganized adjustments. 

The Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme 2.0 - a 20 million Euro investment from the European Union - brings together the the African Union Commission, United Nations (including UNDCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF and UN Women) and Civil Society Organisations to accelerate continental action on the elimination of violence against women and girls, harmful practices and strengthen sexual and reproductive health and rights.

The Launching of SIARP 2.0 at the 39th AU Summit

To operationalize the programme, a strong coalition of continental and global leaders gathered in Addis Ababa on the margins of the 39th African Union Heads of State and Government Summit. The high-level launch event, themed “Accelerating Africa’s Promise: Uniting Action to End Violence Against Women and Girls, and Harmful Practices in Africa,” was co-hosted by the President of Zambia, in addition of participation from the African Union Commission and European Union through its Delegation to the  African Union. This milestone-moment served as the official kick-off for SIARP 2.0, cementing the leadership and partnership between the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union. 

"One law, one community, and one safe and empowered girl at a time."

At the summit, leaders described SIARP 2.0 as a programme with an unshakable mandate to the continent's women and girls. Highlighting the launch, UNFPA Executive Director Diene Keita, delivering remarks on behalf of UN Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed, emphasized that this phase is engineered to deliver tangible hope at the grassroots level, accelerating a future defined by "one law, one community, and one safe and empowered girl at a time." 

"We must move from advocacy to acceleration. We must scale our interventions, innovate our approaches, and resource our commitments at the pace the situation demands..."

AUC Commissioner, HE Ambassador Amma A. Twum-Amoah lauded the launch of SIARP 2.0 highlighting its important technical and financial support in helping AU Member States improve regional coordination and enhance efforts in the protection of women and girls from any form of violence across the continent. The Commissioner stressed that "we must move from advocacy to acceleration. We must scale our interventions, innovate our approaches, and resource our commitments at the pace the situation demands..."

H.E. Javier Niño Pérez, Ambassador and Head of Delegation to the African Union, noted that this phase directly builds on the concrete achievements of phase one of the programme. He further underscored the rationale for investing in women and girls stating that “advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and girls is a matter of governance, stability, and sustainable development”. 

“Advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and girls is a matter of governance, stability, and sustainable development”.

Echoing this, the UNDCO Regional Director for Africa, Mr. Yacoub Ali El-Hillo, noted that despite global rising, coordinated opposition against gender equality, the launch proves that Africa and its partners possess the political will required to elevate the safety and dignity of every woman and girl. Find more from the launch event, here is the press release.

A Tripartite Coalition for Gender Equality

SIARP 2.0 is backed by a 20 million Euro, four-year (2026–2029) strategic investment representing a programme partnership between the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union. Supported by the EU, the programme treats gender equality not as an isolated social issue, but as a non-negotiable precondition for achieving sustainable regional development. 

The regional programme framework sees a partnership between the African Union Commission and United Nations, delivering through a "One Programme" approach.

Four Strategic Pillars of Intervention

SIARP 2.0 uses a survivor-centered theory of change aimed at addressing the structural and systemic causes of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and harmful practices. It also promotes sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). The program’s strategic design consists of four connected outcomes that aim to create a lasting framework for safety, bodily autonomy, and human rights throughout Africa. The program focuses on: 

Law, Policy, and Data Systems

SIARP 2.0 focuses on improving the ability of regional and national institutions to enforce laws that protect women and girls. This is aligning regional laws with international human rights standards. At the same time, the program is fixing broken data collection systems. By supporting the gathering and use of detailed data, it provides policymakers with real-time evidence needed to track trends, enhance accountability, and shape targeted interventions.   

Prevention and Social Norm Transformation  

To tackle the root causes of violence, SIARP 2.0 promotes prevention strategies based on evidence that challenge harmful gender practices and social norms. This proactive approach includes empowering women economically, involving men and boys as key allies, and working directly with religious and traditional leaders to create fair, inclusive communities.  

A Permanent Protection Infrastructure  

SIARP 2.0 creates coordinated, survivor-centered services across health, legal, and social sectors. By establishing standard protocols, building the skills of service providers, and partnering with survivor-led organizations, SIARP 2.0 ensures that when a survivor seeks help, they can easily access quality support across multiple sectors. It gives priority to marginalized groups so that no one is left behind.

Grassroots Movement Building and Advocacy 

SIARP 2.0 offers vital financial and technical support to strengthen women’s rights organizations and youth-led movements. By bringing people together for regional discussions, encouraging exchanges between different regions, and investing in sustainable resources, the program helps build the long-term strength of these advocates. This way, diverse voices can lead change and influence decision-making at all levels.

Realizing Agenda 2063 

SIARP 2.0 is aligned to the African Union’s broader developmental vision, explicitly supporting Agenda 2063 on the Africa We Want and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.. 

Particularly, the programme will work to support the implementation of and accountability around continental legal frameworks and initiatives of the African Union Commission, including:

• The Maputo Protocol: Accelerating the universal ratification and localized domestication of the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, translating the treaty into binding national laws that protect women's agency, autonomy, reproductive, and bodily rights. 
• The AU Convention on the Elimination of VAWG: Strengthening state obligations to commitments to end all forms of violence, ensure gender quality and realise women and girls full potential. 
• The Saleema Initiative and End Child Marriage Campaigns: Harmonizing sub-regional policy codes, updating child protection protocols, and building robust community-led protective monitoring frameworks.

Institutional Sustainability 

Sustainability for the regional programme is key. Building on phase one of the regional programme, it is imperative to invest in a clear pathway to build institutional capacity, programme resilience and mobilise resources, particularly from Member States, to drive further action within the African Union Commission’s mandate. With this understanding, SIARP 2.0 works to strengthen internal capacities of the AU Commission and Regional Economic Communities, as well as working with civil society organisations at regional level. 

How can you make a difference? 

Are you interested in the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme - find out more on our webpage.

Join the regional programme in advancing investments towards the girls and women empowerment agenda on the continent. This is a call to  private sector leaders, philanthropic organizations, and international development partners to expand on the investment and work of this regional platform. Eliminating deeply entrenched violence against women and girls demands a unified global and continental front. This is a unique opportunity to mobilise more leadership, investment and partnership for gender equality, for women and girls. 

As leaders across the continent have emphasized, history will ultimately judge global and regional institutions by the definitive choices made today for Africa's daughters. The Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional programme 2.0 stands as an open invitation for all forward-thinking stakeholders to help forge a lasting legacy of freedom, dignity, and fulfilled potential for every woman and girl across the continent.