Executive Summary

1 Introduction

She Leads is a joint programme of Plan International Netherlands, Defence for Children - ECPAT Netherlands (DCI-ECPAT), African Women’s Development and Communication Network (FEMNET), Terre des Hommes Netherlands (TdH-NL) and the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA). Equal Measures 2030 is a technical partner. She Leads brings together child rights organisations, feminist/women’s rights organisations, and groups led by girls and young women (GYW-led groups) and aims to increase sustained influence of girls and young women (GYW) on decision-making and the transformation of gender norms in formal and informal institutions. Working via three interrelated domains helps She Leads to achieve this goal: central is (1) the enhancement of collective action of GYW in a gender-responsive civil society (civil society domain), (2) supported by increased acceptance of positive social gender norms (socio-cultural domain) and by (3) enabling meaningful participation of GYW in decision-making by political institutions (institutional domain). Geographically, She Leads focuses on East Africa (Uganda, Ethiopia, Kenya), the Sahel (Mali) West Africa (Ghana, Sierra Leone, Liberia) and the Middle East (Lebanon, Jordan). In addition to programming in these countries, a considerable part of the programming is done at Middle East and Pan-Africa regional and global level, targeting institutions and stakeholders at these levels.

She Leads prioritizes six key strategies in achieving success in the three domains: • • Fund and resource girl-led/young feminist organising, collective action and activism; • • Data-driven and evidence-based advocacy & research; • • Catalyse the growth and strength of social movements and collective action for girls rights; • • Media influencing & advocacy; • • Advocate for girls access to international institutions and human rights mechanisms; • • Capacity strengthening support and jointlearning between civil society organisations (CSOs), girl-led groups and young feminist organisations. This is the first annual report and covers the period January - December 2021. It includes a first assessment of the progress of the She Leads programme towards its objectives, and analysis of the different contexts the programme operates in. The report includes information on the output targets for the basket indicators of the Power of Voices Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (WRGE) framework and the Strengthening Civil Society (SCS) framework, and the actual results on these indicators in 2021. Furthermore, this annual progress reports reflects on the She Leads learning agenda. The report closes with a chapter on the She Leads cross-cutting issues that include safeguarding, sustainability, inclusion and power dynamics.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs granted the She Leads consortium a one-month extension of the submission date of its financial report for 2021. The financial and audit report will be submitted to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs no later than June 1st, 2022.