Virtual / Addis Ababa – December 2024
Disabled Women in Africa (DIWA) has officially joined the Civil Society Regional Network (CSRN) established under the UN Women ACT Programme (Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action), marking a new milestone in DIWA’s regional advocacy and feminist coalition-building work across Africa.
The ACT CSRN is a regional platform connecting civil society experts, networks, and women’s rights organizations across East and Southern Africa to collaborate, share knowledge, and influence policy processes aimed at ending violence against women and girls (EVAWG). The network serves as a direct link between grassroots women’s movements and global advocacy structures, including the ACT Global Civil Society Steering Committee and ACT Management Committee.
DIWA’s participation strengthens the visibility and leadership of women with disabilities within Africa’s feminist and human rights movements, ensuring that disability inclusion remains central to continental advocacy on gender equality and ending violence against women.
Building Intersectional Feminist Alliances
Represented by Ruth Mkutumula, Executive Director of DIWA, the organization joined the inaugural CSRN meeting on 13 December 2024, which brought together feminist leaders and organizations from across the region, including Akili Dada (Kenya), Sonke Gender Justice (South Africa), SIHA Network, Policy (Zimbabwe), and others.
The meeting, convened by UN Women East and Southern Africa, introduced the ACT Programme’s vision to strengthen feminist networks, amplify regional advocacy, and enhance the participation of intersectional women’s rights organizations (WROs) in policy and accountability processes.
The ACT CSRN provides members with opportunities to:
- Review and provide inputs on policy documents and advocacy priorities related to EVAWG;
- Build connectivity, solidarity, and peer learning among regional women’s rights movements;
- Engage in joint advocacy and communication efforts to influence AU and global policy processes, including Beijing+30 and Agenda 2063;
- Foster a culture of collective care, ensuring resilience and wellbeing across movements.
“Joining the CSRN positions DIWA within a dynamic community of African feminists committed to transformative action,” said Ruth Mkutumula, DIWA’s Executive Director. “It enables us to bring the perspectives of women and girls with disabilities to regional dialogues on ending violence against women and ensure disability inclusion is integrated into Africa’s shared feminist advocacy agenda.”
Inclusive Feminist Leadership at the Heart of the ACT Programme
The CSRN forms a key part of the governance structure of the UN Women ACT Programme, which is co-chaired by the European Commission and UN Women, and implemented in partnership with leading feminist and women’s rights organizations, including FEMNET, Sonke Gender Justice, Equality Now, SVRI, and SIHA Network.
The ACT Programme aims to:
- Strengthen feminist and women’s rights movements through coalition-building, networking, and leadership development;
- Support impact-oriented advocacy at regional and global levels;
- Enhance the representation of intersectional and marginalized groups, including women and girls with disabilities, in policymaking spaces; and
- Promote innovation and evidence-based advocacy to influence public policy and funding priorities.
Commitment to Intersectional Advocacy
Through its participation in the CSRN, DIWA will continue to contribute to regional feminist advocacy,
“The ACT network creates a space where the feminist and disability movements converge,” Ruth noted. “It allows DIWA to advocate not only for gender equality but for justice that recognizes all diversities of womanhood.”
About the Civil Society Regional Network (CSRN)
The CSRN is a regional platform under the UN Women ACT Programme that connects women’s rights organizations, networks, and experts across East and Southern Africa to coordinate advocacy, strengthen movement resilience, and influence regional and global policymaking.
About the ACT Programme
The Advocacy, Coalition Building and Transformative Feminist Action (ACT) Programme is a joint initiative of the European Commission, UN Women, and the UN Trust Fund, designed to strengthen feminist movements and promote transformative action to end violence against women and girls globally.