The UNOY East and Southern Africa regional network comprises 24 member organisations across 13 countries.

Beyond the technicalities of grant writing, budget management and grant reporting, what we truly built for the ESA region in 2025 was a sense of collective resilience. Seeing our members move from competing for crumbs to collaborating on regional-scale proposals reminds us that when we pool our expertise, we aren’t just looking for resources—we are claiming our seat at the table.

~ ESA Regional Coordinator Grace Orao

The UNOY East and Southern Africa (ESA) regional network hosts many members of the African Youth Advocacy Team (A-YAT), who advocate for the implementation of the Youth, Peace and Security Agenda at the continental, regional and national levels. The region hosted in September 2023 a Young Peacebuilders Forum: successfully creating a unique space for young peacebuilders to develop peer-to-peer cooperation around conflict transformation, as well as concrete and equal partnerships for peace, the regional network continues to build on this momentum.

As a result of working collaboratively to build safe and sustainable spaces for young people to learn from each other and cooperate, member organisations in the region are meaningfully shaping the decisions that affect them and transforming power structures.

In 2025, the UNOY East and Southern Africa region hosted a three-day regional fundraising training in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), strengthening the fundraising capacity of 15 ESA member organisations, and representing 99% of the ESA Fundraising Committee. The training provided a collaborative space for ESA members to exchange fundraising best practices, strengthen regional coordination, build connections with continental bodies such as the African Union (AU), and develop strategies to navigate the complex peacebuilding funding landscape. Following the training, several member organisations continue to express interest in collaborative fundraising within the network and enhancing a deeper engagement with the ESA Fundraising Committee established in 2024.