FEMNET phase II

Examples of what has been acheived under the BAI project FEMNET and its partners/members have participated in drafting and advocating for progressive language in outcome and position statements to include the recommendations and priority commitments by CSOs and Women's Rights Organisations for the Commission on Status of Women (CSW), International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and the Generation Equality Forum at the global level. At the Continental level, FEMNET has been monitoring and contributed to the review of the AU Maputo Protocol and its Plan of Action. For example, during 53rd session of the Commission on Population and Development (CPD 53) , FEMNET was a co-convenor of the technical working group for the International Sexual and Reproductive Rights Coalition (ISRRC) alongside ARROW, Countdown for Europe, LACWHN, and IPPF Regional Advocacy Dialogue on GBV promoting the adoption of SRHR language and advocacy in the outcome documents. This resulted in having more womens rights activists, feminist and gender advocates make contributions and statements for accountability on SRHR and gender commitments. At the country level, the project strengthened capacities and capabilities of national women-led CSOs to advocate for obligations and commitments on sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR). It elevated the local partners actions in challenging discriminatory practices such as child, early and forced marriage (CEFM), female genital mutilation (FGM) and unsafe abortion and shifted the negative public perceptions that surround access to SRHR. It triggered behaviour change and responsiveness of duty bearers, increasing the uptake of SRHR services by young women and girls as reported in Rwanda, Mozambique and Tanzania. The engagement of men and boys in countries such as Zambia led to increased vigilance by communities and subsequent reduction in cases of violence against women and girls. Data shows an emergence of strong movements and coalitions of young people, womens rights advocates, religious and cultural leaders, advocating for progressive messaging on SRHR in the six countries involved in the project. Accountability and benchmarking tools such as the SRHR barometer, shadow reports and national dialogues on the status reports have supported constructive engagements and enabled national women-led organizations and other actors to hold African states to account in prioritizing the SRHR agenda. High-level joint country missions to Madagascar and Sudan stimulated national dialogues and commitments on the ratification of the AU Maputo Protocol. Reports from countries such as Tanzania, show ongoing realignments of education policies towards a relevant and comprehensive curriculum that encapsulates the protection of SRHR rights of school-going girls. Some progress has also been made in getting commitments from States like Rwanda to increase budget allocations for sexual reproductive health services and universal health coverage. FEMNET and partners also equipped at least 1287 journalists and media professionals with skills and knowledge to report and tell stories on SRHR across the continent. At least 148 networks of media partnerships have been established by FEMNET and partners over the BAI project duration. The CareFound-Liberia Journalist network and the Chaguo Media partnership in Tanzania were established during the project period. The impact of BAI has seen the development of innovative media spaces and networks which will be sustained beyond the project period. A WhatsApp group continues be used by the journalists as a community of practice on SRHR for regular updates and sharing of pertinent information and mobilizing for strategic actions. During the reporting period, trainings were also organized for the media and cultural and religious leaders to reground SRHR programming in the African feminists' principles reflected under the African Feminist Charter and strengthen their capacities in analysing and advocating for womens SRHR. The project has contributed to strengthening the engagement with duty-bearers to influence fiscal policy and service delivery. For example, engagements with various state line ministries and agencies in the six focal countries is improving governance and access to SRHR services in the these countries. Actions by BAI partners (ranging from production of policy briefs and position papers, policy reviews and analysis, researches and campaigns) ignited engagements and reviews of several sectoral policies to address SRHR priorities. In Tanzania, there is ongoing re-alignment of education policy towards a relevant curriculum that encapsulates the protection of sexual and reproductive health rights of school-going girls. NGOCC in Zambia engaged with the reviews and analyses of Reproductive Health Policy and National Strategy on Ending Child Marriages, in elaborating the entitlements of women and girls. In Liberia, CareFound engaged in advocacy on abolishing illegal abortions and post abortion care and rallied CSOs to petition a draft FGM Bill seeking to lift the 2018 Presidential Executive Order, banning FGM. MULEIDE in Mozambique was part of a network of CSOs that petitioned the male-dominated Mozambique Parliament to append a clause on the penalization of FGM and the outlawing of body shaming and harmful nudity targeting women and girls on media platforms. At the continental level, FEMNET contributed to opening up spaces for participation of male allies and traditional leaders in high-level advocacy forums such as the Africa4Girls Summit in June 2019. The delegates influenced the language and recommendations in the outcome document and pushed for the need to change the narrative from child marriage to child abuse in shaping legal and policy frameworks at various levels. FEMNET has under the outcome dedicated to strategic communication and mass media influence had a number of engagements with different policy makers and opinion makers. Through Creative use of media in amplifying positive messaging on SRHR through dialogues, documentaries and case studies on various platforms FEMNET has enabled communication of diverse information. This has elicited public debates on the need to respect SRHR rights and also created safe spaces where young people can access the right information on SRHR services. FEMNET and her partners conducted media amplification campaigns to accelerate messaging on SRHR in the project focal countries. The impact of BAI on the development of innovative media spaces and networks is expected to be sustained beyond the project period. For example, a WhatsApp group continues be used by the journalists as a community of practice on SRHR for regular updates and sharing of pertinent information and mobilizing for strategic actions. Partnerships: FEMNET has endavoured to strengthen partnerships with strategic regional Pan African organizations, funding partners and networks working on SRHR. Examples are the collaboration with Solidarity for African Womens Rights (SOAWR) coalition, working on advocacy efforts in pushing for universal ratification of the Maputo Protocol from 16 countries in 2017 to 13 countries in 2022. At the AU level, FEMNET has partnered with the respective AU divisions (i) AU Gender and Youth Directorate to provide technical support in the implementation of their strategy (2017 2027) for gender equality and womens empowermentand implementation of Human Rights Instruments on Ending Violence Against Women and Girls and Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights; (ii) AU Department of Social Affairs in the re-launched Campaign to eliminate FGM and the Campaign on ending child, early and forced marriages in Africa (iii) ACHPRs continental Campaign to Decriminalize abortion in Africa. FEMNET continues to partner with the European Union in implementing together with Oxfam GB the Strengthened Womens Networks for Greater Impact (STITCH) four year program in 7 African countries and supporting 13 Womens Rights Organizations. In 2021 FEMNET is in partnership with 3 consortiums under the Power of Voices Framework for funding opportunities by the MOFA-Dutch government. The SRHR (We Lead, led by HIVOs Netherlands), She Leads Programme (Led by Plan Netherlands), African Activists for Climate Justice (Led by Pan African Climate Justice Alliance). FEMNETs participation and contribution in the consortiums has enabled her to build partnerships with new members that were not part of her membership, get more exposure to learn and build synergies with other allies. FEMNET has also partnered with UNFPA, UN Women and UNDP under the Spotlight Initiative. The Spotlight Initiative is a global initiative of the United Nations which has received generous support from the European Union. Its aim is to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. Together with Plan Denmark and Plan UK, FEMNET will be co- implementing the Promoting Universal Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights of vulnerable adolescents in Africa- West and Central Africa. The project is funded by the European Union. FEMNET has also partnered with Sida, not only within the BAI project, but with other Sida partners including the Global Family Law campaign, as a co-leader of the Action Coalition on Economic Justice and Rights and as an implementing partner under IDEAs Womens Political Participation programming. FEMNET also collaborated with Sida supported partners such as the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) in a webinar to unpack the effects of COVID-19 on Africas population, health, education and research. Together with UN Women and the Swedish Association for Sexuality Education (RFSU), through the men to men engagement, FEMNET continues mobilize male religious and cultural leaders who are leading community level actions in promoting SRHR for women and girls through elimination of harmful cultural and traditional practices and GBV. During the cost extension: An internal three-year strategic paper on the nexus between SRHR and climate justice, economic justice rights and womens transformative leadership was developed based on the BAI evaluation and impact analysis of the program, together with a contextanalysis. FEMNET also arranged a high-level meeting in Botswana to further the process of the Botswana government to ratify the Maputo Protocol. FEMNET arranged a reflection and knowledge sharing session with the community of journalists who have been working under the BAI project. Journalists shared their experiences and learnings reporting on critical SRHR issues including contraceptives, Maputo Protocol, ending child marriage and reporting on sexual and gender-based violence. The journalists are said to stay connected and continue conversations via a whatsapp group and emails bilaterally and collectively. A number of knowledge products (policy briefs and toolkits) were produced, published and disseminated through the website and social media platforms, curated as part of the #SRHRDialogues conversations. An investment and sustainability plan was approved in 2023. FEMNET set to focus on strategic resource mobilization and securing institutional funding for policy and advocacy work, strategic engagement and convening and impact assessment. A policy on safeguarding was adopted in 2023. An Enterprise Resource Planning(ERP) tool, said to largely improve internal management and control was implemented. Although FEMNET did not forward any funds during the period, there were network activities for implementing partners focusing on internal capacity and SRHR programming. Tools and policies developed by FEMNET were used to improve network capacities. Several strategic interventions and plans were identified by partners as a result. According to the NIRAS evaluation, the BAI project has demonstrated some positive results at local, national, and regional level, and that FEMNET has proved its capacity as a regional SRHR advocate during a critical and difficult period caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the evaluation also points out some challenges and weaknesses and any future support would need to build on a revised and strengthened Theory of Change, where SRHR advocacy and monitoring of SRHR commitment at national level are more directly linked to regional SRHR advocacy engagements. The BAI project was partly too advanced in its approach and selection of thematic areas considering the level of capacity among members to claim accountability on bodily autonomy rights. FEMNET is recommended to revisit how network members aligned with FEMNET's intersectional feminist and rights-based approach can build their strength for advocacy and support to build institutional capacities of less experienced members. Furthermore the Sida grant has financed important steps in the institutional development of FEMNET, including policy and administrative and finance system development. Additionally, FEMNET has hosted a series of consultations among staff at the secretariat, members spread across the continent and strategic partners and feminist networks working within diverse policy advocacy and influential spaces at country, regional and international level. While the project has been assessed to align with both FEMNETs strategic priorities, and the Swedish Regional SRHR strategy (2017-2021), with a focus on ending child marriage, safe and legal abortion and banning female genital mutilation, and building capacities of Women Rights Organisations (WRO) to hold governments to account on SRHR, it has been difficult to link the results of the BAI project to the regional added value which the regional SRHR strategy aims to achieve. Nevertheless the project has focused on relevant regional processes and targeted strategic events and spaces to promote a feminist SRHR agenda but the links to the activities in the BAI workplan have been difficult to follow through a weak theory of change. The Embassy had hoped to see stronger evidence of results related to improved domestication, implementation and reporting on existing global, regional and national SRHR policies, laws and commitments (for example countries that have ratified or are reporting on the Maputo Protocol, adaptation of specific policies and laws on FGM, CEFM, GBV etc.). Through the project FEMNET has also selected six sub-grantees in six countries that have implemented quite different and more project-type activities in their respective countries. It has been hard to deduce the regional added value and cross learning between the countries/sub-grantees, as well as how has results been disseminated and possibly had an impact on regional level. The NIRAS evaluation concludes that the project was not clear on how FEMNET should support network members in linking their work to specific regional processes where their governments had or could commit to SRHR. It is unclear whether the reason for missing results is due to lack of capacity in the area of results based management and reporting, to insufficient strategic choices made in the planning process or implementation skills. FEMNET's results reporting and analysis does, however, in general miss a strategic level of analysis and have a tendency to focus on activities as opposed to outcome or impact level. There are few or no links between what is described in terms of activities and what they are expected to lead to.

The objectives of the programme are: 1. Enhance capacity and knowledge of Womens Rights Organizations and Young Women led Organizations to understand and advocate for safe and legal abortion, ending FGM and eradicating child marriage using human rights-based approaches . 2. Strengthen accountability and delivery by African States on SRHR commitments enshrined in the Maputo Protocol and Plan of Action, the ICPD Programme of Action, 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development and the Beijing Platform for Action (BPfA) 3. Advance effective and meaningful participation of African Womens Rights Organizations at key regional and global policy platforms (the African Union and UN levels) 4. Increase awareness and visibility among key stakeholders in the region and enhance media capacity on SRHR issues, specifically the ACHPR Campaign on Decriminalization of Abortion in Africa, AU Campaign to abolish child marriages and FGM in Africa. 5. Strengthen institutional capacity and functioning of FEMNETs Secretariat in achieving and sustaining programme results