| Overview : The Spotlight Initiative is a global, multi-year initiative launched by the European Union and the United Nations to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls (VAWG). This initiative galvanizes political commitment at the highest levels and contributes to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), specifically Goal 5 on gender equality, fully integrating the principle of “leaving no one behind”. In Belize, the Spotlight Initiative seeks to contribute to ending family violence by strengthening policy and legislations that will guarantee increased protection of women and girls, building the capacity of state and non-state actors to respond to family violence, expanding the range of services available and addressing social norms and behaviors that promote violence against women and girls. The Spotlight Initiative program in Belize was approved by a joint UN-EU Operational Steering Committee co-chaired by the UN Deputy Secretary-General and signed in January 2020 between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, the UN Resident Coordinator, and the implementing UN entities: UNICEF, UNFPA, and UNDP. The program will be implemented over 3 years starting in 2020 for 36 months. The total cost of the Spotlight country program is USD4.346 million with a first phase investment by the European Union of USD 2.475 million. The program activities will be implemented nationally across all six districts and benefit directly 25 thousand women, 85 thousand children (boys and girls), and 6 thousand men, indirectly reaching over 322 thousand beneficiaries. Since signing the Spotlight Initiative country program the UN in collaboration with implementing partners finalized working plans with national counterparts including Ministry of Human Development, Ministry of National Security, Ministry of Education, Youth and Sports, Ministry of the Attorney General, National Women’s Commission, National Committee for Families and Children and the Judiciary. As well work plans have been finalized with 7 CSO implementing partners including Productive Organization for Women in Action (POWA), Child Development Foundation (CDF), Youth Enhancement Services (YES), and Toledo Institute for Environment and Development (TIDE), National Organization for the Prevention of Child Abuse (NOPCAN), and Pathlight International, Spouses of CARICOM Leaders Action Network (SCLAN). To strengthening networks, work plans are being agreed with Go Belize, Belize National Indigenous Council (BENIC), and the Belize Network of NGOs (BNN). Key program actions have been reviewed and adapted to respond in the current context of COVID-19. The UN Resident Coordinator Office has facilitated a CSO lead process towards the selection and confirmation of nine eminent civil society representatives reflecting women’s movement and experience of groups facing intersecting vulnerabilities. Thus, establishing a Civil Society Reference Group to support and advise program implementation. The overall vision of the Spotlight Initiative Project in Belize is that women and girls enjoy their right to a life free of violence, within an inclusive and gender equitable Belize. In order to ensure that strong policy frameworks exist for responding to family violence, The National Gender Policy will be evaluated, and the evaluation will be utilized to inform the development of an improved gender policy with strong institutional arrangements for its delivery. The NGBV Action Plan which expires in 2020 will also be revised, updated and costed with an M & E framework which will be developed to accompany the plan ensuring that there are strong planning frameworks for institutions to deliver evidence-based programmes. |
