Advocacy & Development
The event featured testimonies from young leaders, interactive discussions, and a showcase of impactful initiatives spanning mental health, arts, social inclusion and cultural heritage.
The event also marked the second anniversary of SEVENTEEN’s appointment as UNESCO’s first Goodwill Ambassador for Youth in June 2024. Since then, the partnership has supported and resourced the Global Youth Grant Scheme, Going Together, providing grants to 100 youth-led projects across 64 countries, enabling them to reach over 21,000 direct beneficiaries and engaging more than 1.2 million people online. These initiatives have delivered more than 700 community-based activities addressing key global priorities through creative, locally driven approaches.
The United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) began its 10-day session in New York on Monday, amid efforts by the United States to weaken women’s rights proposed in the draft outcome document.
The theme of the CSW, the world’s biggest global meeting on women’s rights, is “ensuring and strengthening access to justice for all women and girls.”
But the US, after initially abstaining from negotiations on the outcome document to be adopted by CSW, changed tack in the past few days and urged the removal of “controversial social issues” from the document, Devex reports.
The US wants references to climate change and a gender-responsive justice sector removed, and does not support the proposed reparations fund for survivors of violence, for example.
However, the entire purpose of the CSW’s 70th session is to chart a path to eliminating gender discriminatory laws, policies, and practices, as well as structural barriers to justice – and the outcome document due to be adopted by the end of Monday was supposed to guide this.
On 17 July 2026, the European Union Delegation to Sierra Leone hosted a Youth Engagement and Music Event at Family Kingdom in Freetown, as part of activities marking 50 years of partnership between the European Union and Sierra Leone.
The event brought together around 150 young people from across Sierra Leone, government representatives, development partners, civil society organisations, youth-led groups, and members of the diplomatic community to discuss youth empowerment, employment, innovation, education, migration, agribusiness, and skills development. It provided an opportunity for young people to engage directly with policymakers and contribute ideas on strengthening youth participation in national development.
Welcoming participants, Stéphane Meert, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Sierra Leone, commended the active participation of youth-led organisations and reaffirmed the European Union’s longstanding commitment to supporting young people in Sierra Leone.
Adopted in 2000, UN Security Council resolution (UNSCR) 1325 recognizes women’s critical role in preventing and resolving conflicts, peacebuilding, peacekeeping, humanitarian response and post-conflict recovery, and calls for their equal participation and leadership in such efforts. UN Women has been advancing the women, peace and security (WPS) agenda in Thailand for more than a decade, with its work initially rooted in the Southern Border Provinces of Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat. In these areas, women’s groups, women-led civil society organizations (CSOs) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have played a pivotal role in empowering women, fostering social cohesion, and creating safe and inclusive spaces where women can learn, exchange experiences, strengthen their capacities and raise their voices on issues affecting their communities. These community-based initiatives have demonstrated the vital contribution of local women leaders and organizations in promoting peace, security, resilience and sustainable development.
Through UN Women’s long-standing partnership with national and local stakeholders – particularly the Department of Women’s Affairs and Family Development (DWF) under the Ministry of Social Development and Human Security, and the Southern Border Provinces Administrative Centre – Thailand adopted the Measure and Guideline on Women, Peace and Security in 2017, marking its first policy dedicated to advancing the WPS agenda. Building on this foundation, in December 2025, Thailand endorsed its first National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (WPS NAP).
The initiative was jointly developed by the Mozambican Defence Armed Forces (FADM), the European Union Military Assistance Mission in Mozambique (EUMAM MOZ), and UN Women, with the aim of strengthening institutional capacities through the development of future trainers.
Throughout the week, participants will deepen their knowledge in a range of key areas, including gender mainstreaming within the armed forces; the Women, Peace and Security Agenda; United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325; the prevention of gender-based violence; gender equality and equity; and the promotion of more inclusive leadership.
By investing in knowledge sharing and the preparation of future trainers, the course contributes to reinforcing the FADM's institutional capacities in areas such as gender equality, protection, human rights, and the prevention of gender-based violence.
Through this partnership, EUMAM MOZ continues to support the strengthening of the FADM's institutional capacities, promoting an inclusive and responsible approach that is aligned with the principles of International Human Rights Law and International Humanitarian Law.
The Imo State Government has announced the completion of the ‘Women, Peace and Security (WPS) State Action Plan’, designed to strengthen women’s participation in peacebuilding, governance, conflict prevention and security in the state.
Speaking at the pre-launch press conference on the framework in Owerri, the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Lady Nkechinyere Ugwu, said the Action Plan, “marks a significant milestone in the state’s commitment to building a peaceful, inclusive and resilient society.”
According to Ugwu, “the Action Plan is the first of its kind in Imo State and among the pioneering frameworks in the South-East, designed to provide a comprehensive roadmap for increasing women’s participation in peacebuilding, governance and decision-making, strengthening protection against gender-based violence, preventing conflict and improving access to justice.”
She explained that the document was developed through extensive consultations involving ministries, departments and agencies, security institutions, the judiciary, civil society organizations, traditional and religious leaders, academia, women and youth groups, with technical support from the Alliance for Africa (AFA).
“The Action Plan is not merely a policy document; it is a call to action. It is a collective pledge to ensure that women and girls are recognised not only as beneficiaries of peace but also as leaders, mediators, decision-makers and active partners in shaping the future of Imo State,” the commissioner said.
She added that the framework aligns with the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 and other global commitments while addressing the peculiar security challenges and development priorities of the state.
The 2nd Global Progress Report on SDG16 Indicators represents a unique and pivotal UN inter-agency effort toward supporting the realization of the 2030 Agenda. This report reveals critical trends that, if not reversed, could jeopardize the achievement of all goals set by the international community, leaving an increasing number of people behind.
Released in 2023, the first joint Global Progress Report on SDG 16 served as a wake-up call for action on strengthened efforts towards justice, peace, and strong institutions. The report portrayed a sobering picture, revealing that progress toward the 2030 Agenda was alarmingly off track, with advancements on goal 16 worryingly slow. In some instances, even moving in the wrong direction. The report, however, acknowledged some significant strides towards supporting countries in addressing data gaps through partnership, technical assistance and production of evidence.
This report, the second dedicated to Goal 16, compiles contributions from all indicators in a single document providing the best regional and global data that the UN system can offer across all targets. The data, statistics and accompanying analysis spotlight trends that have and will continue to shape our world, policy options and underscore the urgent need for action to reverse negative trends and to foster a more just and sustainable future.
Click here to access the full report published by UNDP on 17 July 2024.
Men in politics as agents of gender equitable change examines why men in politics decide to support gender equality, how they explain and frame their allyship, and how their actions are perceived by women politicians, activists and students. Drawing on evidence from three countries: Colombia, Liberia and Malaysia, this research contributes in-depth, qualitative and cross-country analysis of how gender norms are influencing decisions of men politicians to support gender equality in the Global South.
As key stakeholders in changing norms around political masculinities and representation in politics, the project responded to feminist calls for a better understanding of how more men can be motivated to take an active role in addressing gender inequalities. Despite their diverse histories, social, political and economic contexts, all three countries had senior government officials expressing support for feminist foreign policy and a greater public discourse on gender equality or feminist politics among men politicians.
Based on key informant interviews and focus group discussions with politicians, activists and university students, the study explores how personal motivations, political institutions, social norms, and global gender equality regimes help to shape men’s engagement – or lack of it – with gender equality, while being mindful of the risk of the appropriation of feminist principles to maintain patriarchal inequalities and intersecting systems of oppression.
This cross-country analysis, together with the three country reports, tease out the implications for politicians, international donors, civil society and researchers on how best to engage with men in positions of power to promote the sustainable transformation of unequal gender norms.
Read here the full report published by the ALIGN Gender Norms Platform on 28 May 2024.
Despite overall progress in terms of more women participating in political decision-making worldwide, gender equality in political participation remains elusive. Deeply entrenched discrimination continues to hinder women’s full participation in political and electoral processes. In its efforts to advance women’s rights and gender equality, UN Women recognizes women’s political participation as a key area of focus.
UN Women’s initiatives to advance women’s political participation include:
¨promoting supportive legislative and institutional reforms;
¨building the capacity of women political aspirants and leaders;
¨monitoring, preventing and mitigating violence against women in politics; and
¨encouraging social norms change to recognize women’s political leadership.
UN Women is also actively engaged in promoting women’s political participation through coordination and advocacy efforts across the UN system.
In 2023, UN Women’s Independent Evaluation Service conducted an evaluation of UN Women’s support to women’s political participation. The primary focus of the evaluation was the impact of UN Women’s efforts to support women’s political participation at the national (and subnational) level. The evaluation also identified lessons learned; examined the contribution of regional and global-level support/guidance; and tracked both positive and negative unintended consequences, including cases of backlash against women’s political participation.
The evaluation included a retrospective view of results achieved during the UN Women Strategic Plan 2018–2021 period, as well as a forward-looking view to support implementation of the UN Women Strategic Plan 2022–2025. The geographic scope covered UN Women’s programming across all six regions through a representative sample of 12 country offices.
Read here the full report published by UN Women on 18 May 2024.
KARACHI: The Uks Research Centre (URC) has urged the media outlets in the country to recognise the transformative potential of women in politics and foster a more inclusive media environment for democratic, inclusive, and representative discourse.
The Pakistani media has been urged to increase the coverage of women's issue to address gender imbalance prevailing in the country -- a phenomenon witnessed during the news coverage of pre-and post-election period.
The URC organised a dialogue, titled 'Gender Representation in Media During Pakistan's 2024 Elections'. The event, hosted by URC Executive Director Tasneem Ahmar, was attended by politicians, representatives of journalists, and researchers.
In her brief remarks, Ahmar said that her organisation monitored gender representation in the Pakistani media, and conducted research on emerging trends and created awareness about inclusion and negative stereotyping through training and advocacy.
On the occasion, Shahrezad Samiuddin presented a data-based analysis of the media coverage of the pre- and post-election scenarios. She highlighted that during the election coverage, more than 90% of journalists, who reported to both print and electronic media, were males.
A better representation of was seen on TV screens where 33% announcers were women. Similarly, Samiuddin pointed out that the coverage of women-specific news did not exceed 10-13% in both forms of media. The share of women-related news increased in the current affairs shows to 38%.
Read here the full article published by The Express Tribune on 18 May 2024.
Image by The Express Tribune
Africa Renewal: What best practices you would you like to share with other countries regarding your government’s work to empower women?
Dr. Mahoi: Everybody knows what we have been through in Sierra Leone—war, Ebola, landslides, flooding, and more. In all these, women suffered the most but we have picked ourselves up. Our focus now is ensuring that women's empowerment is at the centre of development.
We have ratified numerous international agreements such as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), the Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights on the Rights of Women in Africa, also known as the Maputo Protocol, and the Beijing Declaration, and so on. So, we are on course in domesticating these treaties and implementing our mandates and obligations as a country.
On the domestic front, we have enacted many gender-related laws such as the Devolution of Estates Act, 2007; the Domestic Violence Act of 2007; and the Customary Marriage and Divorce Act of 2009. For me, these are outdated laws, even though they were steps in the right direction at the time.
In the last few years, we reviewed some of those laws and are trying to address existing gaps. For example, in 2019, we reviewed the Sexual Offenses Act of 2012, to impose stiffer punishments on perpetrators of sexual violence. President Julius Maada Bio demonstrated his passion for the well-being of women by declaring in 2019 a State of Emergency over rape and sexual violence.
We established a Sexual Offences Model Court to try cases of sexual violence against minors and impose stiff punishment. Those cases are now fast-tracked. We enacted the Gender Equality and Women’s Empowerment Act(GEWE), in 2022, to reaffirm our commitment to the empowerment of women and girls. We also have the Customary Land Rights Act, which guarantees women the right to own, hold, use, and inherit land.
All these efforts are translating into tangible results.
Click here to read the full article published by the United Nations Africa Renewal News on 30 April 2024.
Image by UN News
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In the ongoing war in Sudan, there is an insufficiently narrated tragedy—the plight of women who are paying a hefty price for this war and are simultaneously being kept from the table in the discussion of how this war can end. International Women's Month coincides with a difficult period in Sudan, where women are facing various forms of violence and violations, including rape, sexual assault, kidnapping and the loss of providers. This is all occurring in a context marked by extreme poverty and lack of medical facilities, especially those related to sexual and reproductive health.
The war that erupted on April 15, 2023 between the Sudanese army and Rapid Support Forces has led to a humanitarian crisis that UN reports have ranked among the largest globally—stating that nearly 8 million people have been displaced due to the war, 88 percent of whom are women and children. There are more than 4 million women and girls at risk of sexual assaults, and alarming reports have appeared of women being sold in markets in Sudan.
The painful irony is that Sudanese women were at the forefront of the Sudanese revolution that overthrew Omar al-Bashir's government on April 11, 2019. Despite their contributions and sacrifices, they found themselves marginalized and excluded from decision-making positions in the subsequent transitional government. The promises of allocating 40 percent of the Sudanese parliament’s seats for women remained unfulfilled. When the actual figures emerged, they reflected a failure to meet Sudanese women's aspirations and acknowledge their vital role in society and the political process.
Read here the full article published by the Washington Institute on 25 March 2024.
Image source: Washington Institute