H E Amina J. Mohammed, United Nations Deputy Secretary-General
Doha: United Nations Deputy Secretary-General H E Amina J. Mohammed yesterday launched the new UN Spotlight Initiative impact report titled “Beyond Progress: Securing gains to end violence against women and girls”, a landmark report that highlights the achievements of the UN’s Spotlight Initiative and calls for renewed global commitment to ending gender-based violence. The report was launched on the sidelines of the Second World Summit for Social Development in Doha, underscoring the central role of women’s safety and empowerment in achieving sustainable development.
Addressing world leaders, policymakers, and civil society representatives, Mohammed said the report serves as both a celebration of progress and a call to action.
“We have made significant strides, but the gains are fragile,” she warned. “Ending violence against women and girls is not optional — it is essential to achieving peace, democracy, and sustainable development.” The UN Deputy Secretary General noted that every significant crisis currently confronting the world, ranging from climate change to conflicts and poverty, is interconnected with violence against women and girls.
She underscored that the initiative aims to enhance protection from violence and empower women by assisting governments in formulating gender-sensitive laws, policies, and institutions. She further noted that the initiative prioritises the prevention of violence, the provision of high-quality services to survivors, and the assurance of accountability for offenders, all under the guidance of civil society.
This strategy is projected to avert approximately 21 million women and girls from experiencing violence by the end of this year.
Since its establishment in 2017, the Spotlight Initiative — a joint effort between the United Nations and the European Union — has become the world’s largest targeted initiative to eliminate all forms of violence against women and girls. According to the report, the initiative has reached more than 385 million people through awareness campaigns, educated over 6 million men and boys on positive masculinity and non-violent relationships, and helped 3 million women and girls access critical support services including healthcare, legal aid, and psychosocial assistance.
UN Secretary-General António Guterres, in a message featured in the report, commended the initiative for proving that “when we unite behind ambitious strategies, we can deliver real change.” Similarly, UN Women Executive Director Sima Bahous described Spotlight as “transformative,” noting its success in placing women’s rights organisations and movements “at the heart of programming.”
Despite the scale of the problem, less than 0.04 per cent of climate-related aid currently targets gender-based violence, underscoring a critical gap in global priorities. Mohammed stressed that reversing this trend requires political will and sustained investment. “Funding decisions are political decisions — and too often, they are failing women and girls,” she said.
The report calls for governments, development partners, and financial institutions to scale up their contributions to gender equality and violence prevention initiatives. It also positions the Spotlight Initiative as a blueprint for multilateral collaboration, showing how the UN can deliver “as one” to drive measurable change across societies.
Concluding her remarks, Mohammed urged world leaders to act decisively. “We have the data, the partnerships, and the solutions. What we need now is commitment. Sustainable development is impossible while women and girls continue to live in fear.” “Beyond Progress” reaffirms that ending violence against women and girls is not only a moral imperative but a global necessity — a cornerstone for peace, equality, and inclusive progress in the 21st century.
