Advanced Search
The Spotlight Initiative Secretariat has fostered cross-regional and intraregional knowledge exchanges by organising in person convenings.The Global Learning Symposium (GLS), which took place in Mexico in 2022, drew over 200 participants from the United Nations, government, civil society and other stakeholders, and aimed to consolidate the gains made over the past five years of the Initiative. A total of 45 plenary and thematic sessions were organised, providing a space for deep reflection and sharing of results, lessons learned and best practices across contexts/As a follow-up to the Global…
In March 2022, Spotlight Initiative, through a partnership with the UN Trust Fund, created a multi-stakeholder online hub for global exchange called SHINE. SHINE Hub operates as a knowledge platform that brings together EVAWG practitioners, including government, civil society, the United Nations, the European Union and others for active engagement to end violence against women and girls, and in the co-creation of knowledge.The platform is accessible in more than 100 languages. It supports the creation, collaboration and amplification of knowledge and provides an online space to engage in…
The Kyrgyzstan Programme set up a Participatory Monitoring, Evaluation and Reporting (P-MER) function, a joint monitoring mission to Osh and Naryn regions in April 2022 with a group consisting of 13 representatives from key ministries and departments of the Government of Kyrgyz Republic, including the Office of the President, 8 Civil Society National Reference Group members, 14 representatives of the UN implementing agencies of Spotlight Initiative and the Programme Coordination Unit (PCU) and four media representatives. All members of the team came together to agree on a common vision, plan…
In 2020, the Count Me In! Consortium and members of Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs) collectively developed a Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit. The Civil Society Reference Groups were established by Spotlight Initiative, engaging diverse women’s rights and feminist activists, subject-matter experts and marginalised groups from local to global levels advising on and monitoring the implementation of Spotlight Initiative’s programming, recommending changes, and holding Spotlight Initiative accountable for its commitments. Through independent monitoring and reporting, CSRGs are critical to…
At the global level, Spotlight Initiative consolidates country-level information received into a central result-based management system called the SMART platform. This monitoring and reporting tool gathers performance data at the outcome and output levels, linking programme-related result indicators so evaluators can better measure the efficiency and effectiveness of Spotlight Initiative. Result indicators are specific to each country or regional programme. For outcomes, shared indicators are defined in the overall and regional result frameworks.Programme stakeholders are obligated to report…
Spotlight Initiative’s overarching goal in its Theory of Change (ToC) is to ensure that all women, especially those who are marginalised and vulnerable, live free from violence and harmful practices. Together with its partners, Spotlight Initiative aims to make concrete changes across multiple pillars to end VAWG. It is broadly understood that it is the synergies across these pillars that generates lasting impact. The specific theories of change for each outcome area are detailed here.
In 2021, Spotlight Initiative conducted a mid-term assessment to take stock of the first phase of the Malawi programme. The aim was to assess the relevance, efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability of the programme and to develop relevant recommendations to improve project implementation.The evaluation team conducted Key Informant Interviews (KIIs) and Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) with 62 individuals. These were spread across national and sub-national levels and included six government officials, three EU Delegation staff, 12 representatives from UN organisations, two members of the…
Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs) have been formed at the national, regional and global levels to advise, monitor and hold Spotlight Initiative programmes accountable to women, girls and feminist movements. As part of a broader push on PMER, national CRSGs have developed independent scorecards to monitor Spotlight Initiative’s processes and systems, with a focus on civil society participation in programme design, access to funding, and engagement in implementation, among other areas. The scorecards, and approach to the scorecard, represents an increasingly (participatory) way “to take…
Spotlight Initiative's Niger Civil Society Reference Group (CSRG) implemented and tested various PMER approaches to assess national programme results. Through monitoring visits conducted in four target provinces, members of the CSRG listened to the stories of women and girls served by Spotlight Initiative. In a safe and secure environment, CSRG members elevated these stakeholders into valuable advisers and agents of change for the programme. As part of this, the CRSG conducted independent monitoring using the Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit and developed an Advocacy Scorecard in 2021. The…
In Malawi, the Spotlight Initiative team set up monitoring structures at district level called “communities of practices”. These were composed of diverse stakeholders and led by district officials, taking a decentralised approach to create a more autonomous approach to reporting. They were instrumental to ensuring local ownership, and engaging marginalised and rural communities – in keeping with the Leave No One Behind principle.Through focus groups discussions, key informant interviews and one anonymous survey, this inclusive process had two main objectives: to check whether women and girls…