Siggil Jigeen and Energy 4 Impact convene coalition of experts to Deliver for Good in Senegal
Women Deliver has chosen Siggil Jigeen, an NGO that promotes and protects women’s rights in Senegal, and Energy 4 Impact, to convene and lead a coalition of experts to drive the Deliver for Good Campaign in Senegal.
Women Deliver advocates for gender equality, and the health and rights of girls and women, to achieve progress for all. Led by 14 global partners and supported by the governments of Canada and Denmark, the global Deliver for Good campaign is driven by the principle that investing in girls and women creates a positive ripple effect that can lift up entire countries.
With a focus on the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals, Deliver for Good promotes investment in 12 critical areas, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, education, economic empowerment, finance and partnerships, and access to resources. It is currently live in Senegal and Kenya.
Progress towards gender equality and empowerment in Senegal has been slow partly because organisations work in silos rather than forging a coordinated approach. Energy 4 Impact and Siggil Jigeen, are cutting through the silos by bringing a diverse range of experts and decision makers together in a single multi-sector coalition which has the expertise, credibility, and commitment to drive action.
Using critical evidence and data to map the current landscape, experts at the coalition’s first workshop could then agree on the needs, challenges, and opportunities for girls and women. They then decided where best to prioritise resources and investment to inspire action and make a difference. Those around the table included civil society, private sector, technical and financial partners, academics, media, UN agencies, government representatives, donors (Canada and Denmark) and representatives of the Government of Senegal.
Safietou Diop, President of Siggil Jigeen, said:
We selected three priorities for focus for the first year of the campaign: achieving affordable, quality education at all levels for women and girls, with appropriate gender-sensitive facilities. Improving health, with a focus on the reproductive health of young people and adolescents - a major challenge facing Senegal. And increasing women’s access to resources including energy, water and sanitation.
Mathieu Dalle, West Africa Regional Director, Energy 4 Impact, said:
The advocacy priorities of the coalition for energy are to push for increased investment in renewable energy and to use revenue from oil and gas to help fund the expansion of renewable energies.
Siggil Jigeen and Energy 4 Impact will continue to lead the Deliver for Good Senegal Coalition in its work to identify the most effective advocacy actions in each of these three priority areas and the best members to inspire and drive specific campaign activities. The two organizations encourage all who support the health, rights, and wellbeing of girls and women to sign on to the Deliver for Good commitment here. Stakeholders in Senegal who are interested in supporting the coalition’s work should contact either organization.
Deliver for Good supports the Senegalese government’s Plan for an Emerging Senegal, which aims to speed up the country’s development and includes a commitment to fighting social inequality by actively integrating gender in public policies and programmes.