Civil society representatives and members of a girls’ club in front of Guara-Guara Secondary School in Buzi district, Sofala Province, Mozambique. Photo: Justa Paz
LWF supports civil society engagement with UN human rights process
(LWI) - The Lutheran World Federation (LWF) civil society partners in Mozambique have emphasized the need to link the local work of empowering women and girls to global decisions that hold governments accountable.
“We see in our projects positive impacts if girls are empowered, if they can go to school and if they are protected from early marriage,” said Filomena Motiane, project coordinator at Justa Paz, an LWF civil society partner organization that promotes human rights, justice and peacebuilding in Mozambique.
Justa Paz is part of the Mozambican Universal Periodic Review (UPR) monitoring forum. LWF supported the civil society organization during the review of Mozambique’s human rights obligations at the 52nd UPR session of the United Nations (UN), 4-15 May, in Geneva, and in preparatory meetings with diplomatic missions in February. Protection of the rights of women and girls featured in the meetings and in the civil society shadow report for Mozambique’s UPR.
We see in our projects positive impacts if girls are empowered, if they can go to school and if they are protected from early marriage
Filomena Motiane, project coordinator, Justa Paz, Mozambique
In Sofala and Inhambane provinces, Justa Paz runs community-based girls’ clubs to empower participants with livelihoods such as sewing, enabling them to make their own school uniforms and reusable sanitary pads. These initiatives, especially the latter, safeguard the girls’ right to education as many of them are forced to abandon school if they cannot afford to buy sanitary pads.
Civil society plays an important role in the UPR process by providing the states under review with background information and concrete proposals from the concerned population. “We are glad that several states we talked to before the review, raised our recommendations during the UPR session in Geneva,” Motiane said.
Motiane said she hopes the government’s response will also include other urgent challenges in a country with one of the highest rates of child marriage and a 70 percent school dropout among pregnant adolescents, according to the UN. “For a longer-term impact, we need our government to better protect girls from early marriage and to strengthen measures to guarantee their education,” she said.
A flooded rice farm belonging to a women's agricultural association in southern Mozambique, following the torrential rains in January 2026. Photo: Justa Paz
The impact of climate change has direct consequences on the right to food, health, and shelter. Here, a flooded rice farm in southern Mozambique. Photo: Justa Paz
Climate change impact
Mozambique’s response to the impact of climate change, including the destructive flooding in the capital Maputo and the southern provinces of Inhambane and Gaza at the beginning of this year, was also raised during the Geneva session.
“The heavy rains that caused the floods are a new phenomenon linked to climate change,” said Dr Chele Sousa, a member of the Mozambican UPR monitoring forum, who was part of the delegation in the LWF-coordinated pre-session meetings in Geneva. “We need to address the human rights impact linked to climate change, because it has important consequences on the realization of human rights, including the right to health, shelter and food.”
Ester Wolf, LWF Senior Advocacy Officer for Human Rights who attended the 52nd UPR session noted that Mozambique had taken a major step in recognizing the challenges it faces and committing to address the issues raised by civil society organizations. “We see how the demands of the local population can be brought up and heard at the international level. It is a positive step if a government commits to work on the realization of specific human rights,” she said.
We will continue to support our local partners to hold their government responsible for fulfilling the commitments they are making in Geneva
Ester Wolf, LWF Senior Advocacy Officer for Human Rights
The Mozambican government will communicate the recommendations it will accept and commit to implement at the UPR adoption session during the Human Rights Council in September. In preparation for that engagement, “We will continue to support our local partners to hold their government responsible for fulfilling the commitments they are making in Geneva,” Wolf concluded.
