SOUTHERN AFRICA: Regional Consultation on the Africa UNiTE Campaign

Representatives of government ministries and national women's machineries from 14 countries in southern Africa, as well as regional economic communities, civil society organizations and UN agencies came together in Johannesburg, South Africa on 11-12 May for a regional consultation on the Africa UNiTE to End Violence against Women campaign, hosted by UNIFEM on behalf of the United Nations system.

Africa UNiTE forms part of the UN Secretary-General's campaign UNiTE to End Violence against Women, launched in 2008.The consultation aimed to present the Africa UNiTE campaign in southern Africa and invite stakeholders in the region to identify ways of contributing to its outcomes. The campaign, officially launched in January 2010 in Addis Ababa with political leadership from the African Union, aims to mobilize and support governments to adopt and implement commitments to end violence against women, and to empower women and their communities to demand accountability.

The six focus areas of the campaign are intra-family violence against women and girls; rape and other forms of sexual violence in the broader community; harmful practices including child marriage; violence against women in conflict-affected countries; linkages between violence against women and girls and HIV & AIDS; and safety and security of women in public spaces.

In her opening remarks, UNIFEM Regional Programme Director for southern Africa, Nomcebo Manzini, stressed that no culture condoned violence. Pointing out the difference between culture and cultural practices, she said that harmful cultural practices that violated women's human rights must be identified and changed. UNICEF representative Sarah Norton stressed the commitment and supporting role of the United Nations on ending violence against women. Government officials described efforts in their countries to address violence against women, and the voices of civil society were also heard.

Participants developed a plan of action that addressed the six outcomes of the Africa UNiTE campaign, as well as key messages for public outreach in southern Africa. Plans were made for national launches of the campaign in the countries of the region throughout this year. The regional economic communities – the Indian Ocean Commission (IOC), the Southern African Development Community (SADC), and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) – committed to play a coordinating role.