Author name: NEWA

NEWA held a Bi-Annual Task Force Consultation Meeting As part of the She Leads project, NEWA held a Bi-Annual Task Force Consultation Meeting on June 30, 2025, at Kaleb Hotel, Addis Ababa.The consultation brought together key government representatives, youth leaders, and civil society organizations to reflect on project achievements, identify ongoing challenges, and strengthen coordination in the collective pursuit of gender equality and youth empowerment.The session opened with a powerful reminder of the importance of inclusive dialogue and accountability. It provided a platform to review six months of project progress, with reports and updates highlighting the impact of grassroots initiatives led by sub-grant partners. These efforts demonstrated the growing strength of youth-led movements and their role in driving meaningful change at the local level.Government bodies—including the Ministry of Finance (MOF), Ministry of Planning and Development (MOPD), Ministry of Women and Social Affairs (MOWSA), Ministry of Education (MOE), Ministry of Labor and Skills (MOLS), Bureau of Women and Social Affairs (BOWSA), and Addis Ababa Bureau of Education in Addis Ababa—offered reflections and expressed a strong commitment to closer collaboration with youth actors and civil society partners.A critical challenge identified during the meeting was the delay in ratifying the National Youth Policy—a gap that continues to hinder national-level engagement and recognition of young people’s voices. In response, youth leaders from the Ethiopian Young Woman Voice (EYWV) took the floor to share their progress, raise strategic questions, and call for action. Their presence underscored the power of youth-led advocacy and demanded concrete responses from the task force.The meeting concluded with a unifying message: “When we work for women, we are also working for 50% of men. Engaging young women—especially through platforms like EYWV—is essential. Our collaboration must continue. This task force is here to shape a better future for girls and young women. If we want real change, we must work together.”The consultation affirmed the importance of sustained multi-stakeholder engagement and a shared vision for a more inclusive, just, and equitable society—where girls and young women lead the way.

NEWA successfully conducted a two-day peacebuilding and conflict resolution training across five regional states Over the past two months, from May to June, NEWA successfully conducted a two-day peacebuilding and conflict resolution training across five regional states: Benishangul-Gumuz, Afar, Amhara, Tigray, and Oromia. The primary objective of this training was to enhance participants’ knowledge and skills related to peacebuilding, conflict resolution, and the implementation of the Women, Peace, and Security (WPS) Agenda. The training covered essential themes, including the definition of key concepts, analysis of conflict dynamics, and various resolution strategies such as dialogue, mediation, and negotiation. A significant focus was placed on the importance of gender-sensitive approaches, as emphasized by the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, highlighting barriers and opportunities for women’s participation in peace processes through practical case studies.

NEWA organized an Awareness Creation Training for Media Outlets focused on international, continental, and national legal frameworks governing the political rights of women and persons with disabilities. The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) is currently implementing a project titled “Inclusive Women’s Political Participation in Ethiopia,” with financial support from the Political Parties of Finland for Democracy—Demo Finland. This initiative is being carried out across Oromia and Benishangul-Gumuz Regional States, as well as in Addis Ababa through engagement with national political parties. The project’s overarching aim is to encourage political institutions to adopt more inclusive approaches, practices and take actionable steps toward increasing diversity in political participation, particularly for women and persons with disabilities. In collaboration with Demo Finland, NEWA is dedicated to advancing an inclusive, multi-party democratic system in Ethiopia. As part of this commitment, NEWA organized an Awareness Creation Training for Media Outlets focused on international, continental, and national legal frameworks governing the political rights of women and persons with disabilities. The training session, held from 23-24 June 2025 at Robi Hotel in Adama, and brought together 40 female participants representing various media houses. From the total participants two of them (5%) were women with disabilities. Objectives of the training included: Enhancing participants’ understanding of legal frameworks that safeguard the political rights of women and persons with disabilities at international, regional, and national levels Promoting media coverage that accurately and inclusively addresses political issues affecting women and persons with disabilities Shifting perceptions and behaviors within media institutions to better recognize and support the role of women and persons with disabilities as political decision-makers Key training topics covered: Foundational principles of political participation for women and persons with disabilities The current political status and representation of these groups in Ethiopia International conventions ratified by Ethiopia concerning political inclusion Continental legal instruments adopted by the country related to rights and participation National legislative provisions advancing the political rights o marginalized groups Strategic pathways to strengthen inclusive political participation going forward

NEWA conducted a three-day capacity-building workshop as part of the broader initiative The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) conducted a three-day capacity-building workshop as part of the broader initiative titled “Empowerment and Representation: Advancing Political Inclusion for Women and Women with Disabilities in Ethiopia.” Supported by UN Women, the project is being implemented in the Afar and Gambella regions and involves collaboration with national political parties to encourage inclusive political engagement and representation. The training took place at Ruftana Hotel in Semera and gathered 39 participants from 19 Women Rights Organizations, Women-Led Organizations and Civil Society Organizations (CSOs). Among them were 13 women (33%). The main objectives of the training were to: Strengthen advocacy skills among Women’s Rights and Civil Society Organizations, particularly in evidence-based policy engagement. Provide participants with practical tools for applying Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) to support political inclusion. Empower CSOs to better champion the political rights of women and women with disabilities. Promote experience sharing and peer learning on topics such as Violence Against Women in Politics and Elections (VAWiP and VAWiE). Key topics addressed in the training included: Concepts around women’s political participation Violence targeting women in political and electoral contexts Application of Temporary Special Measures Evidence-based approaches to policy advocacy Preliminary feedback from attendees highlighted active participation and a collective dedication to integrating these insights into their organizational and community work. Figure 1: Group photo of Participants Figure 4: Group Debate on Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) Figure 4: Group Debate on Temporary Special Measures (TSMs) Figure 2: Particizccccccccsssssssssssssssssssssspants During Group Discussion Figure 3:Mr. Girma share his experience on Advocacy

NEWA hosted a sensitization & a consultation workshop for strengthening the GBV-CE to enhance GBV advocacy A pivotal step was taken today in Ethiopia’s fight against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), as 31 representatives (27 females and 4 males) from women-led and women’s rights organizations convened at Kaleb Hotel for a high-level Sensitization and Consultation Workshop. The event, organized by the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), aimed to reinforce collective action through the Anti-Gender-Based Violence Campaign – Ethiopia (GBV-CE). Founded in 2006, the GBV-CE network has served as a united platform for civil society and advocacy groups to combat GBV, challenge harmful traditional practices such as Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and child marriage, and honor the global 16 Days of Activism. Key outcomes from the workshop included: A strategic review of recent research findings by GAGE The revitalization of GBV-CE’s collaborative structure The adoption of a new Terms of Reference (ToR) to guide operations Election of a new Executive Committee and cluster coordinators to lead priority areas: Prevention, Advocacy, Rehabilitation, Emergency Response, and Research The following organizations were elected to head the cluster groups: EWDO, EWRA, AWSAD, MLWDA, and Article 35. In a further leadership update, AWSAD was selected as Vice Chair of the campaign, with EWRA appointed as Secretary, while NEWA continues to serve as Chair. To enhance national representation, regional focal representatives were also appointed, bolstering coordination at the grassroots level. This renewed momentum underscores Ethiopia’s commitment to ending GBV and fostering a safer, more equitable future for all.

Strengthening Women’s Political Leadership in Gambella: A Capacity-Building Workshop The Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) with the financial support of UN Women is implementing the project “Empowerment and Representation: Advancing Political Inclusion for Women and Women with Disabilities in Ethiopia.” This initiative is being carried out in the Afar and Gambella regions, as well as within national political parties. As part of this effort, NEWA has organized a four-day capacity-building workshop on Women’s Political Leadership and Gender Equality, taking place from May 13 to 16, 2025, at Grand Resort and Spa in Gambella. The training brings together 38 women politicians from six political parties active in the Gambella Regional State. Among them, three are women with disabilities, reaffirming the commitment to fostering inclusivity. The primary objective of this training is to strengthen the political leadership skills of women, equipping them to become influential, transformational leaders capable of driving meaningful change. During the training, Commander Gadbel Bol, Head of the Gambella Regional State Political Parties Joint Council, and Miss Zeritu Kebede, Head of the Women’s Wing of the council, delivered opening remarks. They emphasized the importance of active participation, encouraging attendees to engage fully in the program for the advancement of both their political careers and their respective parties. Figure 1: Training participants at Grand Resort and Spa, Gambella Figure 2: H.E Commander Gadbel Bol, Gambella Political Parties Joint Council Head made an opening remark Figure 3: Participants in attending the training Figure 4: Participants During Pre-test Figure 5:Participants During Group Discussion

NEWA hosts a validation workshop on the Implementation Research of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy from a UCDW and Intersectionality perspective in selected government sectors. On June 13th, NEWA hosted a validation workshop on the Implementation Research of the Gender Mainstreaming Policy from a UCDW and Intersectionality perspective in selected government sectors at Sapphire Addis Hotel, Addis Ababa. The Network of Ethiopian Women Associations (NEWA), in collaboration with MoWSA and with support from IDRC, launched a pilot project titled “Coupling Unpaid Care and Domestic Work (UCDW) with a Local Development Agenda for an Improved Care System in Ethiopia.” The project seeks to integrate UCDW and intersectional approaches into national development policies and revise gender mainstreaming (GM) guidelines accordingly. As part of this initiative, a study was conducted to assess the integration of UCDW and intersectionality within Ethiopia’s national and sectoral GM manuals. The assessment focused on five key ministries—Women and Social Affairs, Health, Education, Labor and Skills, and Water and Energy—and involved a desk review of existing guidelines, interviews with 12 key informants, and a review of global literature. The implementation research found that unpaid care and domestic work (UCDW) is largely overlooked as a standalone theme across ministries. Where referenced indirectly, strategies for its recognition, reduction, and redistribution are insufficient. Similarly, intersectionality—acknowledging overlapping identities such as gender, disability, and rurality—was minimally addressed across all guidelines, leading to limited data disaggregation and inadequate policy responses for marginalized groups. The research also identified systemic gaps, including weak support structures for caregivers, poor data collection, and low investment in essential public services and infrastructure to ease the burden of UCDW. Furthermore, national and sectoral gender mainstreaming (GM) guidelines lack targeted interventions for subgroups such as rural women, women with disabilities, and economically disadvantaged caregivers. These challenges are exacerbated by entrenched social norms, weak stakeholder collaboration, and limited resources. As a result, the next steps include developing a comprehensive manual to support sectors revising their guidelines, ensuring alignment with best practices. A policy brief will also be prepared and shared with government stakeholders to inform and guide decision-making. Additionally, a training toolkit will be created to deliver targeted sessions, strengthening stakeholder capacity to implement the revised guidelines effectively

የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች ማህበራት ቅንጅት የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ሴቶች ማህበር መጠለያን ጎበኘች የኢትዮጵያ ሴቶች ማህበራት ቅንጅት ሰኔ 2/2017 ዓ.ም የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ሴቶች ማህበር የሴቶች መጠለያ የጎበኘች ሲሆን በጉብኝቱ የኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ ቦርድ አባላት እና ሰራተኞች በልደታ ክ/ከተማ የሚገኘውን መጠለያ በስፍራው ተገኝተው ፆታዊ-ጥቃት የደረሰባቸው ሴቶች ያሉበትን ሁኔታ ለመረዳት ችለዋል፡፡ የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ሴቶች ማህበር ሁለት የሴቶች መጠለያ ያለው ሲሆን እነዚህም በአዲስ ከተማ እና በልደታ ክፍለ ከተማ ይገኛሉ፡፡ የልደታ ክ/ከተማ የሴቶች መጠለያ እ.ኢ.አ በ2010 ዓ.ም የተቋቋመ ሲሆን ስራውን ለመጀመር ያነሳሳቸው ዋናው ምክንያት ፆታዊ ጥቃት የደረሰባቸው ሴቶች ማረፊ አጥተው ለተደራራቢ ችግር ሲጋለጡ በማየታቸው ችግሩን ሙሉ በሙሉ መቅረፍ እንኳን ባይችሉ ጊዜያዊ መጠለያ እንዲያገኙ እና ደህንነታቸው እንዲጠበቅ ታስቦ ቀና ልቦች ባሏቸው አመራሮች እንደተመሰረተ ለማወቅ ችለናል፡፡ በመጠለያው ውስጥ የሚገኙ አብዛኞቹ ሴቶች ነፍሰ- ጡር ሆነው ወደ መጠለያ የሚገቡና እዛው ልጆቻቸውን እንደወለዱ ለማወቅ ችለናል፡፡ በመሆኑም መጠለያ ውስጥ ያሉ ህፃናት ትምህት የጀመሩ ሲገኙበት አብዛኞች ግን ጨቅላ ህፃናት ናቸው፡፡ በማብራሪቸውም የአዲስ አበባ ከተማ ሴቶች ማህበር ዋና ስራ አስፈፃሚ የሆኑት ወ/ሮ እናታለም እንዳለ እንደተናገሩት መጠለያው ተደራራቢ ችግር ያለበት መሆኑን ገልፀው በዚህም ከእለት ምግብ ጀምሮ የተለያዮ መሰረታዊ ድጋፎችን ፣ የክህሎት ስልጠናዎችን፣ የስነልቦና እና ማህበራዊ ድጋፎችን በተለይ ደግሞ መጠለያው ያለበትን ሁኔታ ማሻሻል ቅድሚያ ሊሰጠው የሚገባ ጉዳይ መሆኑን በአፅንሆት ገልፀዋል፡፡ ኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ ዋና ስራ አስፈፃሚ የሆኑት ወ/ሮ ሳባ ገ/መድህን እንደገለፁት መጠለያው በመደበኛነት ሊያሟላ የሚገባቸው ነገሮች እንዳሉ በመጥቀስ በዚህም የተለያዩ ባለድርሻ አካላትን ለመጠለያው ድጋፍ እንዲያደርጉ ማህበሩም በዚህ ላይ በሰፊው እንዲሰራበት አስታውሰው ፤ ኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ የበኩሏን እንደምትወጣ በመግለፅ የምግብ እና የንፅህና መጠበቅያ መጠነኛ ድጋፍ ያደረገች ሲሆን መጠለያውም ያለበትን ሁኔታ ለማሻሻል እንዲሁም የሴቶቹን ህይወት በዘላቂነት ለመታደግ የተለዩ ድጋፎችን የሚፈልግ በመሆኑ የሁላችንንም የጋራ ጥረት እንዲታከልበት ኢ.ሴ.ማ.ቅ ጥሪዋን ታቀርባለች፡፡

NEWA and Oxfam Lead Transformative Training on Unpaid Care Work Advocacy In a significant step toward economic justice and gender equality, the Network of Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA), in collaboration with Oxfam under the WE-Care Project, successfully conducted a dynamic training on May 22–23, 2025. The workshop focused on building a social movement to address unpaid care and domestic work, equipping participants with advocacy strategies to amplify women’s voices and drive systemic change.The session brought together 24 participants, including members of NEWA, women’s associations, and women-led organizations. The discussions centered on recognizing, reducing, and redistributing unpaid care responsibilities, emphasizing the need for collective action to push for policy reforms and societal shifts. Participants engaged in interactive sessions and strategic planning aimed at strengthening their ability to influence policymakers and community stakeholders. The event marks a crucial milestone in ongoing efforts to promote gender-responsive economic policies and ensure women’s contributions in unpaid labor receive the recognition they deserve.With this impactful training, NEWA and Oxfam reaffirm their commitment to empowering women and fostering inclusive economic policies. Advocates and stakeholders alike are expected to continue advancing this movement, driving change toward a more equitable future.

NEWA Hosts Training to Combat FGM and Child Marriage in Ethiopia Addis Ababa, Ethiopia – In a significant move toward eliminating Female Genital Mutilation (FGM) and Child, Early, and Forced Marriage (CEFM), the Network of  Ethiopian Women’s Associations (NEWA) conducted an intensive Training of Trainers workshop from May 21–23, 2025. Held in Addis Ababa, the event brought together 18 participants from the Amhara, Oromia, and Somali regions, as well as the capital, to equip them with the knowledge and skills needed to tackle these harmful practices. During the three-day session, attendees explored the root causes and consequences of FGM and CEFM, examined their impact on human rights and gender equality, and learned how to challenge ingrained societal norms. The training also emphasized strategies to counter common justifications for these practices, alongside developing action plans to drive change within their communities. By fostering informed local advocates, this initiative represents a vital step toward eradicating FGM and child marriage, reinforcing Ethiopia’s commitment to protecting women and girls from harmful traditions. 495205809_717648473959197_1054205266336856328_n 498327040_717648440625867_2115736358427453737_n 499546643_717650277292350_6800948055892828827_n 499580213_717650263959018_8940777473700417378_n 499738463_717650343959010_6253015285511979438_n 499762727_717650267292351_3428134385984851433_n 499927653_717648477292530_5751107784469120103_n