The European Commission and UN Women launched Spring Forward for Women. This programme aims to support national and regional stakeholders to empower women economically and politically in the context of the progress that has followed the Arab Spring. The programme will respond to the support needed at regional and country levels.

European Commissioner for Enlargement and European Neighbourhood Policy, Štefan Füle, and UN Women Assistant-Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director Policy and Programmes, John Hendra, signed a new partnership on women’s empowerment. The Spring Forward for Women is a new joint regional programme for the South Mediterranean Region aimed at supporting national and regional stakeholders to empower women economically and politically in the context of the progress that has followed the Arab Spring.

In particular, the new programme, which is financed through a contribution of €7 million from the European Neighbourhood Partnership Instrument (ENPI) and of €1.2 million from the UN Women core budget, will support initiatives by national and regional institutions and civil society organisations to ensure women's active engagement in decision-making, empower women economically and enhance regional knowledge and experience-sharing on women's political and economic rights.

The programme will build on local initiatives, recognising that sustainable change must be locally-owned and led. The work at regional level will focus on several priorities: capacity building; increasing the participation of women in electoral processes; and strengthening local and national governments to have effective services toward poverty alleviation and advocacy. Targeting all Southern Mediterranean countries, the programme will complement actions focused on improving access to economic opportunities for marginalised women in a number of priority countries that are undergoing transition and reforms, such as Tunisia and Egypt.