Outcome RWA_O_2

UN-Women effectively leverages partnerships and communications to secure sustainable resourcing and ensure broad-based support for its mandate

Over the reporting year, UN Women Rwanda strengthened the way partnerships, communications, and advocacy by moving from mostly one-off events and visibility activities to a more planned and coordinated approach. Communications and advocacy were more closely linked to government engagement, national priorities, and internal accountability processes, which helped strengthen support for gender equality and women’s empowerment, while reinforcing the conditions required for sustainable resourcing and delivery of its mandate. By combining public-facing advocacy with institutional engagement and strengthened internal oversight, these efforts led to clear and visible results, including increased national media coverage, formal collaboration with key government institutions, and continued engagement from development partners and donors. Strategic collaboration with government institutions played an important role in expanding national visibility of gender equality priorities and programme results. Engagement with the Ministry of ICT and Innovation made it possible to leverage the Government’s One Million Coders Programme to amplify the African Girls Can Code Initiative through major national media platforms. Coverage across television, radio, print, and digital channels reached an estimated 4–6 million people (average reach through coverage by media houses such as Rwanda Broadcasting Agency, Radio Rwanda, and Igihe), strengthening public awareness of girls’ participation in STEM and reinforcing Rwanda’s broader commitment to gender-responsive digital transformation. This visibility supported stronger alignment between gender equality objectives and national development priorities, contributing to sustained institutional support. Advocacy efforts also focused on influencing public attitudes and social norms by engaging audiences beyond traditional development spaces. In partnership with the Ministry of Gender and Family Promotion, the HeForShe Change the Punchline / Hindura Blague campaign used comedy and popular culture to challenge harmful gender stereotypes and promote respectful, inclusive narratives. By working with comedians, influencers, and media actors, the initiative reached youth and creative communities that are often less engaged through formal advocacy channels. More than 20 comedians were empowered through the campaign and related workshop to integrate gender equality prinicples into their craft andwork, while digital engagement exceeded 40,000 users and live events attracted broad public participation, demonstrating the effectiveness of non-traditional partnerships in expanding advocacy reach. Media engagement remained central to linking visibility with accountability. Through the Joint Programme on Rural Women’s Economic Empowerment, journalists and editors participated in immersive field engagements across five districts of Kirehe, Ngoma, Nyaruguru, Gisagara, and Nyamasheke , allowing them to interact directly with women beneficiaries and implementing partners. This approach strengthened understanding of women’s economic realities and contributions, leading to more consistent and gender-responsive reporting across national media outlets. More than 16 articles were published by UN Women on regional digital platforms (websites) and national media (newtimes, igihe, KT Press among others as a result, contributing to improved public discourse and greater recognition of women’s leadership and agency. To support continuity and reinforce these gains, sustained investment was made in high-quality communication products. Editorial features, documentaries, highlight videos, human-interest stories, and newsletters were produced and disseminated through national (e.g newtimes, igihe, RBA, KT press etc), regional (UN Women Africa digital platforms), and global platforms (UN Women HQ digital platforms), ensuring that programme results and partnerships remained visible beyond individual events. These products supported major advocacy moments such as International Women’s Day, the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence, and Generation Equality milestones, while also strengthening transparency and engagement with partners and donors. High-visibility national and global events were used deliberately to convene stakeholders and reinforce shared responsibility for gender equality commitments. International Women’s Month and the 16 Days of Activism served as platforms for dialogue and collective action, bringing together government institutions, civil society, youth groups, development partners, and the private sector. These engagements elevated discussion on technology-facilitated and household-level gender-based violence, promoted survivor-centred and responsible media reporting, and reinforced alignment with the Beijing Platform for Action and the Generation Equality Forum. The CO’s active participation in the United Nations Communications Group ensured that gender equality remained a visible and cross-cutting priority within UN-wide messaging aligned with the UNSDCF 2025–2029. Joint campaigns, coordinated dissemination, and shared communication assets enhanced consistency and amplified the collective UN voice on gender equality and women’s empowerment. As a result, Interagency coordination further strengthened coherence and reach across the UN system. Media practitioners and youth leaders were equipped with skills on gender-sensitive reporting, social norm transformation, unpaid care work, and gender-based violence prevention, strengthening accountability and expanding networks of informed actors capable of sustaining engagement beyond structured campaigns. These capacity strengthening activities supported the sustainability of advocacy efforts. Collaboration with financial institutions and private sector actors, including through platforms such as the Equity Women’s Forum, created opportunities to advance dialogue on financial inclusion, entrepreneurship, and women’s economic leadership. Engagement with non-traditional partners further expanded reach and potential resourcing pathways while strengthening private sector interest in supporting gender equality initiatives. Complementary engagement with diplomatic missions and government counterparts also contributed to trust-building and future collaboration. Alongside these external efforts, strengthened internal practices such as regular business reviews, results-based management processes, and close collaboration with the Regional Office improved oversight of both core and non-core resources. Despite temporary system limitations, proactive measures were taken to improve financial visibility and address data gaps, reinforcing fiduciary confidence and supporting informed planning and decision-making.