Norway And Sweden Support UNIFEM Urgent Actions For Women's Rights In East Africa

Nairobi , November 01, 2006 – UNIFEM's interventions on women's rights and gender equality in Somalia and Uganda received a major boost this week with financial assistance from the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (SIDA) and the Government of Norway. Key to women's rights protection and participation is leveraging the voice of women as change agents with influence on policy and peace efforts. Leveraging women's effective participation and contribution to real-time urgent actions for peace, recovery and healing remains at the core of activities by UNIFEM in the region.

A 1,000,000 SEK grant from SIDA for Ugandan women's participation in the ongoing peace efforts in Juba comes at a time when UNIFEM has already launched a women's peace caravan and UNIFEM Goodwill Ambassador Phoebe Asiyo is on a mission to Juba.

In Somalia, a 1,300,000 NOK grant from the Government of Norway consolidates women's engagement with the World Bank/UN-facilitated Post-Conflict Joint Needs Assessment that has been underway over the last year. UNIFEM played a lead role in integrating gender equality and human rights into the assessment, in close partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights. The Norwegian grant will go towards Somali women's undertaking a gender audit of the draft Recovery and Development Plan, defining their key priorities, and advocating for gender-responsive financing mechanisms for the recovery plan.

"This support is a practical way of translating rhetoric on women's participation into practical reality with women and for their direct benefit," said Nyaradzai Gumbonzvanda, Regional Programme Director for UNIFEM in the East and Horn of Africa. "SIDA and Norway continue to invest in women's rights in ways that facilitates transformation at community and household levels, while influencing policy, within the scope of UN Security Council resolution 1325."

The new commitments build on a current partnership UNIFEM enjoys with the Norwegian and Swedish governments in Kenya, Sudan and other countries of the Great Lakes Region.

For further information, please contact Roselyn Gicira, roselyn.gicira[at]unifem.org

Source: United Nations Development Fund for Women (UNIFEM)