Gender-Based Violence (GBV) is a pernicious issue in Southern Africa where prevalence is particularly high compared to the rest of the world - between half and two-thirds of all women state that they have experienced violence at some point in their lives compared to one third internationally. GBV is a complex and multifaceted issue that has a variety of root causes, including patriarchal social norms and cultural beliefs that reinforce traditional gender roles and place men in positions of power and often perpetuate the idea that men have a right to control women and their bodies, economic inequality, poverty, unemployment, lack of access to education and resources, lack of legal protections and enforcement contributing to the impunity of GBV perpetrators, gender-based discrimination, but also substance abuse and mental health issues. These factors often interact with one another in complex ways, are highly intertwined and can vary depending on the context and culture.  Addressing GBV requires a comprehensive approach that addresses all these underlying factors concomitantly, promotes gender equality, changes harmful social norms, protects women’s rights, strengthens women’s economic empowerment and ensures access to adequate services and resources for survivors. In the heart of Southern Africa, an alarming rise in gender-based violence (GBV), especially against women and girls, has sounded a clarion call. GBV is tearing apart the lives of women and girls, hindering development, and stifling progress. In the mountainous landscapes of Lesotho, over 86% of Basotho women and girls have experienced GBV at one point or another in their lives.   Lesotho, under the leadership of its UN Resident Coordinator, Ms Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, decided it was time to take bold steps. The RCO Lesotho knew that this vision could not be achieved in isolation. It required a collective effort, a united front to combat GBV comprehensively. They reached out to UN Resident Coordinators in Botswana, Eswatini, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia, igniting a spark of collaboration for a transformative change. Recognizing this urgency, the United Nations, in collaboration with the Spotlight Initiative, has initiated a ground-breaking five-year program to combat GBV across six Southern African countries: Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Namibia, South Africa, and Zambia. The RCO Lesotho has played the role of a catalyst, bridging gaps, facilitating dialogue, and ensuring that the collective efforts remained on course. They meticulously coordinated the development of a Sub-Regional Joint Programme on GBV, a groundbreaking initiative aimed at tackling GBV from all angles—prevention, response, and support. A High-level Partnership round-table was held with the participation of representatives from the six countries. The attendees included high-level officials from government, development partners, AU, SADC, private sector, civil society, and the UN. The Honorable Minister Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma – Minister in the Presidency for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities graced the event and the Her Majesty Queen Masenate Mohato Seeiso of the Kingdom of Lesotho joining online. Amanda Khozi Mukwashi, the UN Resident Coordinator for Lesotho, provided insights into the Lesotho-specific challenges and expectations. She touchingly remarked on the importance of peace as a precursor to a GBV-free society. For many women, peace remains an elusive concept, restricted not just to public spaces but their private sanctuaries. Additionally, Her Majesty the Queen of Lesotho, who virtually participated in the roundtable, lent her influential voice and support to the initiative, indicating the nation's commitment at the highest level. As part of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) region, which unfortunately records some of Africa's highest rape cases, the challenge for Lesotho is twofold. Firstly, to address the immediate issue of GBV within its boundaries and secondly, to participate in a sub-regional approach ensuring that as a collective, the Southern African nations rise above this challenge. Collective Action and Collaboration The discussions, punctuated by contributions from various national representatives, emphasized the importance of a collaborative approach. As noted by UN Botswana Resident Coordinator, Zia Choudhury, ending GBV requires a collective effort, bringing together governments, NGOs, academia, private sector, and, importantly, survivors. Minister in the Presidency for South Africa responsible for Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma's message was clear - to end GBV, we need to empower women economically and educationally, reducing their dependency on men. The message was unmistakable; all the partners unanimously concurred that addressing gender-based violence (GBV) is imperative. What remains is the provision of the necessary resources, both in terms of technical expertise and financial support. Way Forward for Lesotho In line with the global Sustainable Development Goals, especially SDG 5 focusing on gender equality, Lesotho needs to strategize and implement policies that address the root causes of GBV. The nation has to invest in awareness campaigns, legislative changes, and most importantly, foster an environment where survivors feel safe to come forward. Substance abuse, often interlinked with GBV, requires attention, as pointed out by Dr. Dlamini Zuma in her closing remarks. Establishing rapid response teams at local levels, equipped to deal with reported GBV cases promptly, can be a game-changer for Lesotho. Furthermore, by amplifying the voices of women in the fight against GBV, Lesotho can create a robust and resilient narrative of strength, hope, and change. As Lesotho stands at the precipice of change, initiatives like these serve as a beacon of hope for the countless women and girls affected by GBV. Through collective regional efforts, backed by global partners, Lesotho has the opportunity to transform itself into a nation where every individual, regardless of gender, can live with dignity, free from fear. The journey might be arduous, but the resolve, as was showcased at the roundtable meeting, is unwavering.  The hope is that in the not-too-distant future, every woman and girl in Lesotho and its neighboring countries can truly know what peace feels like. There can be no achievement of development without peace. Peace is not just a goal; it is a prerequisite for achieving development goals, and violence remains an obstacle to these objectives.  

Young people from various facets of life engaged in conversations and discussions on Gender Equality as part of the commemoration of World Population Day this year. Ahead of the commemoration at Ha Khabo in Leribe district, UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund partnered with Limkokwing University of Creative Technology to host a dialogue for young people to dissect this year’s theme, "Unleashing the power of gender equality: Uplifting the voices of women and girls to unlock our world’s infinite possibilities." The young people view gender equality as one of the tenets to achieving the Program of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) and the Sustainable Development Goals. During this dialogue, discussions were mostly on unpacking what the theme means and how Lesotho would advance should the power of gender equality be unleashed saying with gender equality Lesotho can easily attain the Agenda 2030 agenda. As one of the young people Zwelithini Matsoso stated, “us unleashing gender equality in Lesotho means removing barriers that among other things limit distribution of resources and unleashing the power of gender equality means unlocking both national and human resources because if we invest in humans, in young people’s education, that means we will end up with a competent and powerful resource that would contribute to our economy.”  He continued, “Investing in gender equality is about removing barriers, about unlocking not only the human development but also national development as a whole because in the end, as a country we need to harvest proceeds from the existence of the population which sometimes we refer to as the Demographic Dividend. As we invest and bridge those inequalities in the economic sphere, we will end up with young people that are able to amass assets such as land.” The discussion also focused on the participation of women in the country’s political activities particularly the representation of women in leadership positions. One of the young people Nteboheleng Makae elaborated, “Lesotho is still lagging behind when it comes to Gender Based Violence (GBV) and gender equality. We are still behind. Women's participation in political leadership positions like in local government is still minimal. This means as a country we need to do more so that we can be able to attain the set Sustainable Development Goals.” The young people also focused on “Bodily Autonomy.” As one of them, Thato Thinyane asserted, “Bodily autonomy is about the right to my own body. It’s about choice, dignity.” The young people also emphasized the need to have relevant knowledge and information, the right to be able to make their own choices, and for men to understand that a No to sex is a No. At Ha Khabo where the commemoration was held, young people repeatedly called for women and girls' voices to be heard. ‘When no one listens to the voices of women and girls, it is deadly as some may be sexually assaulted and be afraid to report. Also, for those who are LGBTQ+ if parents and the public do not accept them, some of them opt to commit suicide for fear of being ridiculed. Kefuoe Majoro who was a part of the young people’s cohort emphasized on political participation saying, “In Local Government, people tend to elect men even when women have better qualifications just because they are men. We should try to balance local government elections. We should elect women – there is a need for women’s participation.” Another young person Lerato Motleleng said, “when parents force young girls into marriage, sometimes for economic reasons, such girls end up being pregnant too early when their bodies are not ready resulting in them sometimes losing their lives.”

It is a cold Wednesday morning, a busy day for children and adults alike. Children are rushing to school trying to make it on time, while adults are trying to catch the next taxi to town where most people are employed. For the 5-year-old Karabelo Thoko a student at Hlalele Preschool, rushing is not the case as she is never late for school. Every morning when Karabelo arrives at school, she radiates excitement. This is evident from her charming smile, the way she leaps over the school gate, and the sweet voice with which she calls out her friend's name. Teacher Ntlaloe teaches at Hlalele Pre-School. Her school is located at a small community a few kilometers outside of Maseru City center named Ha-Hlalele. It was funded by Ireland Action Trust Project in collaboration with UNICEF Lesotho in 2019 and officially opened on the 19th of February 2020 by His Majesty King Letsie III.  "Karabelo is always on time here at school. I am always available at school when the first child arrives, so I am her first contact,” Teacher Ntlaloe explains. She says Karabelo always greets with a lively smile, and while waiting for others to arrive, Karabelo goes straight to the outdoor play area where swings, slides and ladders are waiting for her. Free play in a child-friendly space is what the new Early Childhood Care and Development curriculum (ECCD) promotes.    Teacher Ntlaloe says Karabelo is progressing well in all developmental domains. Her emotional and social skills and academic excellence are owed to the play-based curriculum that she Teacher Ntlaloe is implementing in her reception class. "Karabelo was not always this enthusiastic when she first arrived here in 2021. She was shy and she would even shy away from learning activities. But like all other children in her class, now she enjoys lessons as every lesson is based on play”, reveals Teacher Ntlaloe. "Some of the activities that Karabelo enjoys the most are numeracy-based. She likes numbers, counting, solving number problems, measuring, spotting patterns, puzzles as well as adding and subtracting,” Teacher Ntlaloe adds. Because of the new curriculum that has aggregated learning and teaching activities according to age groups, Karabelo’s zest for play and learning has increased. Her mother, ’Makarabelo Thokoa, mentioned that ever since Karabelo attended school, she likes to play and uses every opportunity and anything she comes across, to play. She says it seems everything they are taught at school is through singing and play. And she sings a lot! “Karabelo has become a much happier child and she loves school,” concluded ’Makarabelo. "Play-based curriculum is very helpful – it has more activities that are integrated – numeracy, literacy, and life skills all together in a single activity. It makes the work easy for us teachers because its activities are purpose driven, and it has a teacher’s guide”, Teacher Ntlaloe says with a smile on her face. The review of the curriculum was one of the key issues diagnosed for Lesotho to address, by Better Early Learning and Development at Scale (BELDS) diagnostic workshop held in Lesotho in 2029. BELDS was a Global Partnership for Education and UNICEF initiative. It was supported financially by GPE.

The High-Level Political Forum on Sustainable Development will be convened under the auspices of the seventy-eighth session of the General Assembly, 18-19 September 2023. Only seven years remain until 2030 and this year is the halfway mark in the race towards the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals. Progress is indeed off-track, as the world grapples with reversing development progress due to climate change, conflicts, the direct health effects and indirect social and economic effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. The SDG Summit, therefore comes at an opportune time to reflect and review progress made thus far, with the imminent reality that the promise of achieving Agenda 2030 is at stake. The UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has called on Member states to put forward national commitments speaking to SDG Acceleration at the Summit, as well as concrete actions to ensure an enabling environment for developing countries to participate in activities in the global economy and benefit from green and digital technologies, and the identification of transformative high impact initiatives. In preparation of the SDG Summit, together with the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning and the UN in Lesotho, from 27-28 July 2023, held stakeholder consultations bringing together civil society, academia, private sector, government, youth and women groups, people with disabilities to gather public opinion on what Lesotho needs to do to fast-track the implementation of the SDGs, to validate the data presented in the Lesotho SDG insight report to better understand the interlinkages of the different priority SDG targets, the identification of high impact initiatives that can lead to tangible change, and to discuss key commitment issues which Lesotho can present at the Summit. “Since the adoption of the SDGs by the UN General Assembly in September 2015, the Lesotho Government has embarked on many efforts to raise national awareness and ownership of the SDGs. Through the Ministry of Finance and Development Planning, there is a holistic, nationally-led and sustainable development strategy for SDG implementation through the National Strategic Development Plan II”, remarked the Deputy Principal Secretary, Teboho Mookela opening the consultation session. The consultations endorsed the following SDGs as national priority goals for the achievement of sustainable development in Lesotho: no poverty (SDG1), gender equality (SDG 5), decent work and economic growth (SDG 8), reduced inequalities (SDG 10), and peace, justice and strong institutions (SDG 16). Renewable energy, digital Infrastructure, integrated catchment management, irrigated horticulture, social protection including pension and tax system modernization are among the high-impact initiatives identified for SDG investment in Lesotho which are currently operational under national programmes. Participants further reiterated the need to progress from commitment to action by all stakeholders for the success of these initiatives, also concluding that public sector capabilities, coordination, data collection and generation required improvement as national implementation modalities for the achievement of Agenda 2030. On behalf of the UN Resident Coordinator, Deputy UNICEF Representative, Kimanzi Muthengi reiterated that multi-stakeholder partnerships are crucial to SDG implementation, “Lesotho recognizes that the achievement of SDGs requires effective partnerships, government leaders must also step up their ambition and drive the necessary transformations to reach the SDGs. They must ensure that global systems related to financing, trade, data and technology are designed to work for the benefit of all countries, not just the privileged few.” The SDG Summit brings hope that together we can turn the tide and build a world where no one is left behind, where dignity and prosperity are accessible to all, and where our planet thrives for generations to come.