This policy brief highlights the main findings of four academic research papers on the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda that were presented during a workshop organized by UN Women Ethiopia Country Office in December 2021. The findings focus on protection of women from conflict-related sexual violence; gender-sensitive recovery programs; role of women human rights defenderds in supporting the WPS agenda; and awareness of Members of Parliament on the agenda.

The assessment offers a series of measures for re forming Ethiopian law to ensure that laws are gender sensitive and more effective at ensuring gender equal ity and non-discrimination. Most notable is that a total of 5 laws or provisions must be repealed in whole or in part; 26 laws must be revised or amended and two (2) new laws must be enacted to bring Ethiopia’s legislative framework in line with its regional and international obligations on gender equality and women’s empowerment. The report also emphasizes the need to prioritize the implementation of national laws that comply with gender equality standards, and in this context, recommends one policy measure to ensure that laws fully deliver on women’s rights

This publication describes the UN Women Rwanda Office's effort in dealing with Gender-Based Violence (GBV) victims using different approaches in both GBV prevention and response. It also provides success stories from different beneficiaries in relation to legal assistance which showed that in most cases it requires strong courage from the victims to bring the perpetrators to justice especially in the context of negative cultural beliefs, women's economic dependence, fear of discrimination and stigmatization among other challenges. The document also highlights the role of mobile legal clinic in increasing the proximity of legal services to the community including awareness-raising and legal literacy.

This analytical study covered ten countries in the region and looked at issues of access to justice for women and girls in East and Southern Africa.

This module is one of four reports developed on violence in Uganda and the survey is the first of its kind where VAWG, VAM and VAC estimates are linked to poverty and other household socio-economic empowerment indicators such as ownership of household-based enterprises, and other economic indicators.

The purpose of this study was to develop a variety of texts documenting case studies of good and promising practices in the area of the protection of rights and access to services for women with disabilities in East and Southern Africa (ESA) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

It is a reality that our region carries the highest prevalence of child marriage and female genital mutilation in the world, impacting millions of our girls. These harmful traditional practices have devastating impact including loss of life, risk of disease such as fistula, loss of education and life opportunities, trauma and other psycho-social impacts resulting in deepening poverty and perpetuating a cycle of abuse. This calls on us as traditional and religious leaders to urgently assume our role as protectors of our children. The COVID-19 pandemic has further exacerbated the prevalence of genderbased violence in our countries and communities.

The UN Women WCARO annual report aims to share information about the regional office's activities on women empowerment and gender equality in 2020. The said year has been a particularly difficult year around the world with the COVID-19 pandemic. In West and Central Africa (WCA), women and girls were particularly vulnerable to the crisis. To counter these burdens and build medium and long- term recovery measures, the UN Women WCA Regional Office successfully provided multi-faceted assistance...

This publication highlights findings from the Zanzibar SDGs Gender Indicators Study in the form of infographics. The infographics showcase findings from each of the sectors covered in the report namely: Poverty and Hunger, Health, Decent Work, Quality Education, Gender Equality, Key Messages and the COVID-19 Context, and Recommendations.

This continental study provides a contextual analysis of the forced displacement of women and girls in Africa based on first hand data from field visits made to the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, and Nigeria. The analysis provides the key priority considerations for the realisation of durable solutions for refugees, IDPs and returnees in Africa and makes recommendations for actions by the AU, Member States and relevant stakeholders within the context of AGA and APSA.

In Nigeria, women remain drastically underrepresented in peace processes. This is not entirely due to lack of capacity, but also due to lack of power and access as patriarchy plays a key role in excluding women from formal and informal peace processes. The report is a situational analysis of the participation of women as mediators in conflict resolution in Nigeria. It presents an in-depth understanding of the gaps and challenges of women mediators in the specific context of each of the six...

Studies have been carried out to investigate the historical, security, political economy, environmental and humanitarian dimensions of the farmer–herder conflict, but very little attention has been paid to women’s participation in formal and informal mediation processes in the protracted conflict between farmers and herders. It is against this backdrop that this assessment seeks to fill this gap by providing on-the-ground evidence from Kaduna and Plateau States. Broadly speaking,...

The policy paper assesses the state of Gender Based Violence (GBV) in Africa in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. Informed by evidence from the five African Union (AU) regions, it outlines some of the initiatives implemented in AU Member States. The paper also proposes recommendations towards multi-sectoral response and recovery efforts that address GBV as well as the related needs of women and girls in Africa.

The crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic must be viewed with a gendered lens to protect women and girls and address the increase in VAWG during this pandemic. In Ethiopia, this can be accomplished with accelerated and concerted efforts of the Government and the United Nations, in partnership with other development agencies and national civil society organizations. This Policy brief presents overview of the increased in GBV in Ethiopia and give recommendations on measures to be taken to address the issue.

Inside this issue : Women Make it Happen! Passage of the VAPP Bill in Nigeria - Call for Social Protection for Nigerian Women - Gender and Equal Opportunities Bill passed into Law - Women’s Situation Room Receives National Award - Advocacy Visit of the Wife of Ebonyi State Governor - UN Women Partners with INTEL to Support Women and Girl’s Access to the Internet