Spotlight Initiative

"This place has had a huge impact on childbirth in our area."

In eastern Liberia, a maternal child health unit supported by Spotlight Initiative is helping save lives by ensuring safer pregnancies and deliveries.

Though maternal mortality has substantially reduced in recent years, in 2020, the country still had the sixth highest maternal mortality rate in sub-Saharan Africa, according to data compiled by the World Health Organization (WHO).

Koro Mallah, a Maternal Child Health Supervisor, explains the life-saving importance of the unit.

In Liberia, maternal child health units are saving lives | Spotlight Initiative ZOE-GEH DISTRICT, Liberia - In eastern Liberia, Spotlight Initiative has supported government efforts to reduce maternal mortality rates by building a Maternal Child Health unit at Bahn Health Centre. Though maternal mortality has substantially reduced in recent years, in 2020, the country still had...

"True strength is respect and partnership"

In Uganda, Vincent Onyango is part of a growing movement of men advancing positive masculinity and helping build safer, more equal communities.

His transformation began through participation in the SASA Together! approach, implemented under the UN Spotlight Initiative, with funding from the European Union and the Netherlands Embassy.

🔗 Read more: https://bit.ly/4dItkpE

"True strength is respect and partnership" - Advancing positive masculinity in Uganda | Spotlight Initiative TORORO DISTRICT, Uganda - Vincent Onyango represents a growing movement of men redefining leadership within their homes and communities. At 28 years old, he is a youth counsellor and trained community volunteer on gender-based violence (GBV), sanitation and hygiene. His transformation began through....

"Are you feeling forced, tricked or trapped?"

Sister Sarah Puls, a member of ACRATH shared how faith leaders and community-based organizations are helping identify and support survivors of human trafficking and modern slavery across the Oceanic Pacific.

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"Are you feeling forced, tricked or trapped?" The faith leaders who identify and support trafficking survivors | Spotlight Initiative MELBOURNE, Australia - Sister Sarah Puls is a member of ACRATH, an Australian faith-based organization dedicated to addressing human trafficking and modern slavery. Her role involves working directly with survivors, migrant workers, schools, healthcare institutions and government bodies to address t...

From Commitment to Scale: Aligning Leadership, Investment and Accountability to End Violence against Women and Girls and Harmful Practices in Africa

During the Africa Regional Forum on Sustainable Development, Spotlight Initiative Africa Regional Programme (SIARP 2.0) hosted a side event bringing together partners from the African Union Commission, the United Nations system, Regional Economic Communities, civil society and the European Union.

Africa is not starting from zero in ending violence against women and girls. The priority now is clear: scale what works, strengthen accountability, and invest at the level required.

Partners aligned around a shared agenda:
• Build on existing progress
• Increase investment, including stronger domestic resource mobilization
• Leverage data to drive decision-making and accountability
• Strengthen coordination across institutions for greater impact

A whole-of-continent approach demands more than commitment—it requires coherence, resources and delivery at scale.

Speakers emphasized the importance of solidarity in the face of global challenges and called for more coordinated and efficient use of collective capacities through SIARP 2.0.

The opportunity ahead is clear: align leadership, partnerships and investment to accelerate results—and unlock the full potential of women and girls across Africa.

"What we have is a true model of what the multilateral system can do when you have all the pieces together." – Erin Kenny, Spotlight Initiative Global Coordinator

Spotlight Initiative’s Civil Society Global Reference Group hosted a panel at Women Deliver 2026 exploring what feminist multilateralism could look like in practice.

This session drew on lessons from Spotlight Initiative to examine how power can be better shared, how resources should flow and how accountability can work in both directions between civil society and institutions.

Read more: https://www.spotlightinitiative.org/news/power-funding-accountability-feminist-lessons-multilateral-reform-women-deliver

Speakers: Shamah Bulangis, Veronica Papa, Lemau Palaamo, Edinah Masiyiwa, Samaneh Shabani, Erin Kenny and Lara Fergus.

Power, funding, accountability: Feminist lessons for multilateral reform at Women Deliver | Spotlight Initiative NARRM/MELBOURNE, Australia - During the last week of April, more than 6,000 people convened in Australia for Women Deliver 2026, a global gathering to advance gender equality. During the conference, Spotlight Initiative’s Civil Society Global Reference Group (CSGRG) hosted a panel exploring what f...