The United Nations Population Fund Representative says gender-based violence continues to disproportionately affect the lives of women and girls.

Erika Goldson was speaking at the inception of the Gender Equality/Combating Gender Based Violence 2024–2027 project in Windhoek, where she advocated for a collective commitment from stakeholders and communities to eradicating GBV.

According to Goldson, statistics are alarming, as nearly one in three Namibian women have experienced physical violence, while approximately one in four have endured sexual violence.

It is against this background that she reaffirmed UNFPA's commitment and the UN system in Namibia's ability to assist in combating GBV and promoting gender equality.

The primary goal of the project is to contribute to the reduction of GBV in targeted regions of Namibia by 2027. 

The actions have been jointly developed with UNFPA Namibia's Country Office and the Ministry of Gender Equality, drawing insights from national health and GBV information systems as well as recent studies highlighting the scope, scale, and gaps in addressing gender-based violence. 

The project is funded by the European Union and will be implemented over a period of 48 months, with an overall budget of N$28 million. 

The project targets five regions, namely |Khomas, Omaheke, Kunene, Ohangwena, and Omusati.