Outcome APA_O_2

Effectively influencing for impact & scale:] UN-Women effectively leverages and expands its partnerships, communications and advocacy capabilities to increase support for and financing of the gender equality agenda, while securing sustainable resourcing for the delivery of its own mandate

The External Relations Unit (ERU) leveraged and expanded partnerships, communications and advocacy capabilities over the course of this period, including renewing existing partnerships and mobilizing new support from existing partners. With all members of the External Relations Unit actively engaged in the Beijing+30 Regional Commemoration, significant results were achieved through exceeding Communications and Advocacy targets and supporting progress towards resource mobilization (RM) and partnerships targets. Overall, UN Women’s social media following grew significantly, as did media mentions. The joint efforts of the Beijing+30 Campaigns Coordinator (line managed by the Head of ERU) and those of the Regional Communications Specialist, contributed significantly to the quality of communications products, campaigns and their reach. The four-day media training in tandem with the Beijing+30 Regional Review enabled significant uplift of media mentions and nurturing relationships with members of the media. The introduction of the Artificial Intelligence (AI) school and dedicated focus on building both AI literacy and the profile of the UN Women Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific’s leadership in AI and innovation have led to significant uptake in AI learning and development and demand for ERU Advocacy Coordinator’s services to further develop capacity of others, including Resident Coordinators Offices, UN Country Teams and other stakeholders. The 30 for 2030 Youth and Civil Society network grew, numbering now at 80, and the fledgling Olympics project resulted in significant social media reach. While the RM/partnerships team rolled out ownership and oversight of the Private Sector Engagement Policy and Procedure, increasing due diligence workload, technical advice and support was provided to support new approaches and partnership diversification, such as with Australia’s Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Sri Lanka (AUD 10M), or, contributing to the technical administration and finalization of the partnership between the ROAP Women’s Economic Empowerment team and the Visa Foundation (USD 2M).

Effectively influencing for impact & scale:] UN-Women effectively leverages and expands its partnerships, communications and advocacy capabilities to increase support for and financing of the gender equality agenda, while securing sustainable resourcing for the delivery of its own mandate

Throughout 2023, the Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific (ROAP) has engaged and partnered with a diverse range of stakeholders to increase awareness and mobilize support – both financial and non-financial – for UN Women as well as the broader gender equality and women’s empowerment (GEWE) agenda. Concurrently, capacity building of field colleagues (and in some cases, our partners) in the areas of communications, partnerships and resource mobilization and advocacy has been central to the Regional Office’ work to empower colleagues to enhance support for and financing of the gender equality agenda at the country level. Through increased and more streamlined engagement with partners and improved internal coordination, ROAP maintained existing and cultivated new partnerships and secured resources and support from public and private sector partners in support of its mandate in Asia and the Pacific. Advancing visibility of the GEWE mandate is central to securing financing and support. In 2023, reach and influence increased overall through a rise in social media followers, strong media engagement, a powerful web presence with rising visits, and consistent attention to promoting visibility of donor-partners through dedicated recognition campaigns and human-interest stories. ROAP has further reinforced its position and impact on GEWE in the region by strategically incorporating innovative approaches to expand advocacy outreach, particularly around meaningful youth and feminists’ engagement, emphasizing working for and with youth and feminists as critical foundations of change.