Mobilizing continental action to eliminate violence against women and girls: The 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. Despite most countries in the region adopting laws that prohibit and criminalize gender-based violence (GBV), high rates of violence persist.
According to recent UN Women data, one in every three girls and women (aged 15 to 49) in East and Southern Africa has experienced intimate partner violence. The data also indicate that the region accounts for the highest rates of female genital mutilation (FGM) worldwide, affecting approximately 90 per cent of girls and women in most Eastern Africa countries. These structural drivers of gender inequality require deep, systemic intervention.
The Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP) brings together the African Union Commission, the United Nations (including UNDCO, UNDP, UNFPA, UNICEF, and UN Women), and Civil Society Organizations to speed up efforts to end violence against women and girls, harmful practices, and to improve sexual and reproductive health and rights.
The launch of SIARP at the 39th AU Summit
"One law, one community, and one safe and empowered girl at a time."
The programme was officially kicked off at the 39th African Union Summit in Addis Ababa, cementing the leadership and partnership between the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union. The event united global and continental leaders around an entrenched mandate to protect women and girls. Emphasizing a strategic shift toward localized impact, leaders noted the programme is engineered to accelerate a future defined by "one law, one community, and one safe and empowered girl at a time." Find more from the launch event.
A tripartite coalition for gender equality supports
SIARP is a strategic investment of 20 million euros over four years (2026–2029). This initiative represents a partnership between the African Union, the United Nations, and the European Union. The programme views gender equality as essential for achieving sustainable development in the region, rather than just a social issue.
The regional programme framework establishes a partnership between the African Union Commission and the United Nations, working through a "One Programme" approach.
Four strategic pillars of intervention
SIARP focuses on the needs of survivors. It aims to tackle the root causes of violence against women and girls (VAWG) and promote sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). To do this, the programme strengthens legal and policy frameworks in the region. It improves real-time data collection for targeted actions and promotes prevention strategies that challenge harmful social norms through economic empowerment and community involvement.
In addition, the initiative builds a lasting, coordinated protection system within the health, legal, and social sectors. This ensures marginalized groups can easily access quality support. To make these changes sustainable and inclusive, SIARP invests in grassroots advocacy. It provides essential financial and technical support to empower women’s rights organizations and youth-led movements to impact regional decision-making.
Realizing Agenda 2063
SIARP closely aligns with the African Union’s Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. It actively supports the accountability and implementation of key continental frameworks. The programme speeds up the universal ratification and local adoption of the Maputo Protocol to legally protect women’s bodily autonomy while enhancing state obligations under the AU Convention on the Elimination of VAWG. Furthermore, it supports initiatives like the Saleema Initiative and End Child Marriage campaigns by synchronizing sub-regional policies and building strong, community-led protection frameworks to ensure every woman and girl can reach her full potential.
Institutional sustainability
Sustainability is crucial for the regional programme. Building on the first phase, it is essential to establish clear pathways for improving institutional capacity, enhancing resilience, and securing resources, especially from Member States, to support further actions within the African Union Commission’s mandate. With this in mind, SIARP aims to strengthen the internal capacities of the AU Commission and Regional Economic Communities, as well as engage with civil society organizations at the regional level.
How can you make a difference?
If you are interested in the Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme, learn more on our webpage www.spotlightinitiative.org/ and join the regional programme in advancing investments in the empowerment of girls and women across the continent. This is a call to private sector leaders, philanthropic organizations, and international development partners to broaden their investment and support of this regional platform.
This is a chance to gather more leadership, investment, and partnerships for gender equality, for women and girls. As leaders throughout the continent have underlined, history will judge global and regional institutions by the significant choices made today for Africa's daughters. The Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme invites all forward-thinking stakeholders to help create a lasting legacy of freedom, dignity, and opportunity for every woman and girl across the continent.
