As a leading regional feminist organization, Réseau des Femmes Leaders pour le Développement (RFLD) is dedicated to driving impactful change alongside UN Women West & Central Africa and women’s rights advocates.
This commitment was further cemented as RFLD was honored to be selected by the UN Women Regional Office for West and Central Africa to participate in the Consultation on Advocacy, Coalition Building, and Transformative Feminist Action to End Violence against Women taking place in Abuja, Nigeria from 23-24 November 2023.
The evidence is clear: the presence of a strong and autonomous feminist movement is the most critical factor in eliciting political change concerning the elimination of violence against women, both in transnational contexts and in the formulation of national policies. Research has shown that large-scale reductions in violence against women and girls are possible through coordinated multi-sectoral actions by governments and civil society. Additionally, intensive advocacy efforts and media campaigns led by feminist organizations play a pivotal role in achieving this reduction.
“We are honored to have been selected to participate in this consultation,” said Gloria Agueh, RFLD’s president. “VAW is a serious problem that affects millions of women and girls in West and Central Africa. We are committed to working with our partners to end this violence.”
FAMILY PICTURE OF THE UN WOMEN CONSULTATION
The consultation aims to be interactive, engaging participants to maximize their expertise and time spent together. It includes various components such as group work, presentations for clarity on the workshop’s purpose and objectives, and interactive sessions involving group activities and design thinking.
Throughout the two-day event, participants will have the opportunity to:
Connect and Reconnect: Emphasizing the importance of building trust and relationships essential for effective movements, coalitions, and advocacy against violence against women.
Identify Underlying Values: Reflect on and share experiences to ensure that the A.C.T project aligns with successful strategies, recognizing power structures and imbalances that challenge this work.
Co-create a Collective Vision: Strengthen global and regional feminist movements advocating for women’s rights and increased advocacy against violence against women. This includes validating the program’s outcome framework, proposed indicators and activities, and identifying opportunities for synergy with other stakeholders at regional and global levels.
Spot Advocacy Opportunities: Identify key advocacy spaces and new actors that need engagement in the fight against violence against women.
Envision Success: Explore inclusive and participatory approaches to monitoring and evaluation to capture results, best practices, and areas for improvement.
Propose Implementation Mechanisms: Suggest advisory mechanisms to ensure the program’s success, such as accountability to women’s rights organizations and continuous learning promotion.
RFLD stands poised to contribute to this crucial consultation, actively working towards advancing feminist action and ending violence against women in the region and beyond.
