Spotlight Initiative Newsletter

A note from the Spotlight Secretariat

We are excited to welcome you to the Community of the Spotlight Initiative (COSI) and to share the first Spotlight Initiative Newsletter. In this inaugural issue of the “COSI” Newsletter, we are focusing on the foundational elements required to strengthen and expand good practice across Spotlight countries and regions. Every element of this Initiative presents an opportunity for growth and professional exploration - from the multifaceted nature of the Theory of Change, to the emphasis on innovation, to the opportunity to connect the Sustainable Development Goal dots, to the possibility to use Spotlight lessons to drive systemic change in line with UNDS Reform. The space for learning is everywhere. We have launched this Newsletter to complement other spaces we are creating to support knowledge sharing. We anticipate it will be just one of the many mechanisms through which we will develop our understanding of what transformative change looks like within the Spotlight space.

I look forward to receiving your feedback and comments. It is through dialogue and allowing for some dynamism within this community that we will all push each other to do better. Women and girls are counting on us.

Erin Kenny, Head of Technical Unit

You can write to the whole group using this email address community@spotlightinitiative.org. The contact list for COSI is found here and more information on how the group works is available in this Manual. We are keen to keep the email group relevant and updated. Get in touch with zebib.kidane@unwomen.org and heran.ayele@unwomen.org for any questions or suggestions for improvement.

Tools and guidance

The Tools and Guidance Note from the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat provides relevant information, guidelines and toolkits on Spotlight Initiative’s six pillars as well as useful resources on the thematic areas of the Initiative.

The International technical guidance on sexuality education: an evidence-informed approach presents the evidence base and rationale for delivering comprehensive sexuality education to young people in order to achieve the SDGs.

A Practitioner's Toolkit on Women's Access to Justice Programming provides evidence-based guidance for a coherent and consistent policy and programming approach to overcoming women's access to justice obstacles.

This guidance outlines key principles to be considered when developing and implementing innovative solutions in EVAWG programmes, processes and partner engagement. Read more

This guidance provides recommendations, resources and tools that facilitate engagement with men and boys in EVAWG programmes. Read more

The Spotlight Initiative Communications and Visibility Guide has been developed by the Spotlight Initiative Secretariat to empower global, regional and country-level communications officers and focal points with the tools necessary for a credible and consistent flow of information about the Initiative, its partners — and most importantly — its impact on eliminating violence against women and girls.

Access communications and visibility tools:

Young Persons with Disabilities: Global Study on Ending Gender-Based Violence and Realizing Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights. (UNFPA July 2018)

You can find more resources in the Tools and Guidance Note.

Tell us what you think
The new Spotlight Initiative newsletter aims to provide its readers with internal information relevant for partners and implementers. Take a few minutes to let us know what you think.