Sweddknowlege plateforme 20 août, 2026

AXES STRATEGIQUES-HARMONISES EJP-FOR-GAMBIE-20230616-.

Presentation of five (5) priority areas for action to harmonize the action plans of country legal teams
Center for african family studies in population health and development
Lomé, February 3 to March 4, 2022

Introduction
Following the analysis of the Legal Context relating to women's empowerment in the 9 SWEED project countries, strengths and weaknesses were identified in terms of legislation, as well as opportunities and threats.
It was also noted that each country proposed its own action plan according to its own specificities and particularities.
Taking into account the regional dimension of the SWEDD project, a harmonized approach to action plans is suggested, taking into account both the contextual diversity of countries and the results expected at regional level.

Introduction
Taking into account the situational analysis of the legal context and the specific features of each country, five (5) priority areas of action have been identified: :
Reform of legal and regulatory texts,
Popularization of women's rights through training, awareness-raising and public information,
Advocacy with political decision-makers, community leaders and other stakeholders,
Access to rights and justice,
Monitoring, evaluation and coordination

Priority action area 1: Reform/improvement of the legal, regulatory and institutional framework
The existence and effective application of laws and legal, regulatory and institutional texts concerning women's rights to education, rights of access to reproductive health services, including those related to contraception, and protection against gender-based violence (GBV) are essential and decisive for the empowerment of women.
This area aims to improve the legal, regulatory and institutional framework in each of the countries involved in the SWEDD project.
The actions under this heading are aimed at strengthening the content of existing legislative, legal, regulatory and institutional texts, and at reforming these texts as part of the harmonization and modernization of countries' legal and institutional frameworks.

Priority Intervention Area 2: Popularization and dissemination of legal, legislative, regulatory and other instruments relating to women's and girls' rights through training, awareness-raising and information for stakeholders and the general public
The popularization and dissemination of legal and other instruments relating to human rights in general, and women's rights in particular, is one of the priority factors in promoting the development of these rights in a country.
The aim is to improve access to rights and justice for the population, especially vulnerable groups such as girls and women. It also aims to enable girls and young women to know their rights and demand their effective application.
Compilations of legal texts and court rulings in favor of women are two ways of making legal information accessible.

Priority area 3: Advocacy with political decision-makers and advocacy for resource mobilization
Advocate with political decision-makers, i.e. governments, political and community leaders, to ensure that legal, legislative and regulatory reforms are carried out within the allotted timeframe.
Advocate with other financial partners to mobilize additional resources for the implementation of action plans.

Priority area of action 4: Access to rights and justice
Axis 4 aims to improve and promote access for girls and women to sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services, to girls' rights to education and vocational training, and to comprehensive sexuality education, in order to avoid certain setbacks that are obstacles to keeping girls in the education system.
Access to priority health services, including contraceptive services, maternal health care and care for victims of gender-based violence, is a key factor in effectively combating school drop-out, unwanted or early pregnancy and/or forced marriage among teenagers.
Access to justice enables victims to demand that justice be done when their rights are violated.
Interventions in this area aim not only to improve access to justice, but also to improve the quality, availability and access of girls and young women to their rights in the areas targeted by the SWEDD project.

Priority intervention area 5: Coordination and Monitoring & Evaluation
Good coordination and an effective monitoring and evaluation system are essential to the success of any Action Plan.
The aim of this axis is to ensure that effective coordination and monitoring-evaluation mechanisms are put in place to carry out periodic assessments, and even mid-term evaluations, of the activities and interventions proposed to achieve the objectives of the Action Plan.