UNIFEM (part of UN Women) convened two workshops in Johannesburg from 31 August to 2 September to engage stakeholders in Southern Africa in the Africa UNiTE campaign, the regional component of the UN Secretary-General’s UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign. The workshops, focusing respectively on inter-agency programming and media outreach, brought together representatives from UN agencies, the media, the donor community, the private sector, civil society and non-governmental organizations in the Southern African region.

In his opening remarks for the inter-agency workshop, the UN Resident Coordinator for South Africa, Agostinho Zacarias, pointed out that addressing violence against women and girls required comprehensive and multi-sectoral measures. A number of UN entities were well placed to contribute to the UNiTE campaign, each from a particular vantage point.

The main objective of the inter-agency workshop was for each participating agency to determine how its comparative advantage could best support national initiatives related to the Africa UNiTE campaign, and to identify initiatives that are already underway and possibly overlapping. Secondly, the workshop aimed to facilitate discussion on resource commitments by each agency and strategies to mobilize further resources. Participants also gave inputs into the development of the campaign action plan.

The media workshop aimed to develop a media strategy for the UNiTE campaign in Southern Africa and the Indian Ocean Islands, including on advocacy for government commitment, raising awareness on the issue of ending violence against women, and promoting social mobilization.

The workshops followed a regional consultative meeting in May, where government and civil society representatives from 13 countries met and agreed on national launches and national action plans for the Africa UNiTE campaign.

For more information, contact Rosemary Mucharonza Muchengeti, UNIFEM SARO Communications Specialist, This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .