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Independent monitoring and reporting by civil society on programmatic contributions can be critical to upholding programme legitimacy, relevance and accountability. In 2020, the Count Me In! Consortium and several members of Spotlight Initiative Civil Society Reference Groups collectively developed a Civil Society Monitoring Toolkit to monitor the work and contributions of Spotlight Initiative. Featuring a set of 26 indicators, the Reference Groups can use the toolkit to monitor the implementation of Spotlight Initiative programming at country, regional and global levels, with indicators…
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…
Representatives of women’s rights groups and human rights-based civil society organisations - including those representing groups facing intersecting forms of discrimination- have been engaged in shaping Spotlight Initiative from its inception in governance and advisory roles. Spotlight Initiative teams have established Regional, National, and Global Civil Society Reference Groups (CSRGs), engaging diverse women’s rights and feminist activists as well as subject-matter experts and marginalised groups. CSRGs advise on and monitor implementation, recommend changes, and hold Spotlight Initiative…
The Count Me In! (CMI!) Consortium is a coalition of intersectional feminist groups that have supported Spotlight Initiative and its civil society partners since 2017. Their focus has been on helping Spotlight Initiative to centre in its efforts women, girls and trans, non-binary, and intersex people who are most marginalised, and often face disproportionate rates of violence. Through consultative processes, engaging hundreds of women’s rights and feminist activists, the CMI! Consortium has successfully lobbied to strengthen feminists’ and women’s rights activists’ role in Spotlight Initiative…
In Nigeria, Spotlight programme has implemented the STEAM Flagship for Women and Girls, an integrated approach and good practice for developing life skills through “21st century entrepreneurship training” for women and girl survivors of violence, including those who have suffered harmful practices. STEAM stands for SRHR information; Technology skills for sales and marketing; Ending VAWG and harmful practices information; Accounting and business management skills; Manufacturing and start-up support. Women and girls in the programme received training as peer educators on sexual and reproductive…
Spotlight Initiative acknowledges the central role of journalists and their contribution to public discourse as well as the potential of this group to change existing narratives so that they support upholding and advancing women’s rights and gender equality. Through the support of six Spotlight Initiative programmes in 2021, 134 news outlets now have peer-validated news and media standards on ethical and gender-sensitive reporting. They join more than 600 media houses engaged by Spotlight Initiative that have committed to better reporting on VAWG.
Eight Spotlight Initiative programmes also…
Spotlight Initiative engages in many strategic partnerships at the global level, including with advocates and influencers, to challenge gender stereotypes and raise awareness of EVAWG work. Global Advocates for Spotlight Initiative, including actor Cecilia Suarez and South African Springboks Rugby Captain Siya Kolisi, have used their social media channels and participation in interviews and at panel discussions to champion work by Spotlight Initiative. Find out more about Ceclia’s support and engagement here and Siya’s personal reflections here.
WithHer Fellowship
Through the #WithHer…
Spotlight Initiative has partnered extensively with the media and arts and culture organisations to heighten awareness of healthy gender norms and behaviours and increase knowledge about the rights of women and girls, especially at the community level.
In Malawi, for example, the programme collaborated with a private media company to raise awareness on eliminating VAWG. This included the promotion of positive masculinities through the HeforShe campaign across the six Spotlight Initiative programme districts in-country. Furthermore, to highlight the important role of activists during the 16…
Grantees of the UN Trust Fund to End Violence Against Women used core institutional funds for a variety of purposes which have contributed to the sustainability of WROs and CSOs, including:
Self-care and staff resilience: In Argentina, Fundación Andhes, an organisation that trains cis, trans and lesbian women to become legal advisors for survivors of violence, used its core funding to hire a psychologist to support staff responding to reports of violence. In Nigeria, the HACEY Health Initiative also engaged a therapist to support their staff. Staff in the HACEY Health Initiative reported…
In December 2021, Spotlight Initiative launched the WithHer Fund in partnership with the UN Foundation to provide flexible financial support to smaller, local, grassroots and WROs working to end violence against women and girls in their communities.
The fund operates under feminist grant-making principles, focusing on flexibility, trust and transparency. To overcome common funding barriers faced by small organisations, the WithHer Fund uses a simplified application and reporting process.
The first cohort of WithHer Fund grantees was chosen based on specific criteria, including the…