United Nations and development partners discuss how to raise resources for gender-based violence in South Africa

Pretoria – The United Nations in South Africa held a roundtable meeting with development partners to identify practical ways to raise funds and strengthen cooperation in implementing programmes on Gender-Based Violence (GBV) and famine, which continue to plague South Africa, affecting countless women and girls.  

The roundtable was also aimed at igniting action and investment to ensure women and girls in South Africa can live free from violence, with their rights fully protected – leaving no one behind. It was an opportunity to secure the necessary investments to support South Africa’s national strategies, ensuring the safety, dignity, and empowerment of women and girls.

Its other objectives included the need to secure financial commitments from donors to support the national implementation of the Sub-Regional Programme on GBV, fostering collaboration among South African stakeholders for a coordinated and comprehensive approach to end the scourge, and highlighting successful GBV interventions and strategies within South Africa to facilitate knowledge exchange and replication of effective practices.

The comprehensive Sub-Regional Programme, launched in October 2023, includes Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa and Zambia. Building on the foundation laid by the Spotlight Initiative, this programme adopts a holistic, rights-based, and survivor-centred approach to end GBV. With the support of key partners this regional initiative represents a unified effort to combat GBV.

In his opening remarks, Nelson Muffuh, the head of the UN in South Africa and its Resident Coordinator, called for urgent collective action to combat GBV in South Africa, emphasizing that GBV was a systemic issue undermining societal fabric. He highlighted the importance of the Spotlight Initiative to accelerate South Africa’s National Strategic Plan on Gender-Based Violence and Femicide (GBVF) while urging strong financial commitments and coordination among all sectors to address GBV’s root causes and create sustainable change. 

As the commemoration of the 16 Days of Activism approaches, the Resident Coordinator reaffirmed the UN’s commitment to championing positive masculinity and supporting women and girls, concluding that the Spotlight 2.0 Initiative was an opportunity to break the cycle of violence and to Leave No One Behind.

Other speakers at the meeting commended President Cyril Ramaphosa’s call to action and his appeal to all South African men to take a stand against GBV. The appeal for pledges comes at a critical time as the country continues to grapple with one of its most urgent and devastating social challenges.

Development partners at the roundtable meeting included, among others, diplomats representing the European Union, the US Agency for International Development, the World Bank, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Germany, Netherlands, Japan and Finland. 

For media enquiries please contact: Eunice Namugwe, UN Information Centre – Pretoria, Email: namugwe@un.org, Tel : +27 71 6828310.

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