The regional programme Partnerships for the Prevention of Gender-based Violence in Southern Africa (PfP), commissioned by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ), is implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH in South Africa, Lesotho, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. PfP main political partners in the countries are the Ministry of Gender, Youth, and Social Development in Lesotho, the Ministry of Gender Equality, Poverty Eradication and Social Welfare in Namibia, the Department of Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities in South Africa, and the Provincial Administration - Southern Province of Zambia. At regional level, PfP partners with the Gender Unit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) Secretariat.

Up to two thirds of all women in the countries of Southern Africa state that they have experienced physical and/or emotional violence with intimate partner violence (IPV) at the hands of a man being the most common form. Institutional and individual capacities to implement and coordinate innovative and context specific GBV prevention measures need to be strengthened further. In addition, regular regional exchange among stakeholders to promote upscaling of good practices for GBV prevention must be promoted.

PfP follows a whole-of-society approach to address GBV on a broad scale. PfP supports cooperation between government, the private sector, and civil society to establish multi-stakeholder partnerships to jointly implement flagship projects, developed according to the needs of each specific context. The regional character of PfP is essential to promote good practices for GBV prevention and ensures cross-country exchange and learning in regional exchange formats.

Regional, national and sub-national stakeholders from different sectors jointly implement evidence informed and multisectoral GBV prevention flagships in Southern African communities.