From Olukayode Idowu, Abuja
The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen has asked for the immediate domestication of the National Action Plan (NAP) on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women Peace and Security by states still foot dragging.
She said it is only by doing this that women’s voice would be further strengthened and add to the ending of all forms of conflict associated Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) in the country.
Tallen made the call in Abuja on Friday in her remarks at “The Lessons Learnt Conference on Promoting Women Participating in Peacebuilding in Nigeria,” organised by the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Co-operation (NORAD).
The conference is an activity under WANEP-Nigeria’s “Enhancing Women’s Participation in Peace and Security in Nigeria” which aims at reflecting on the processes adopted to strengthen women’s social networking capacities towards effective participation in formal peace processes in three states in the Niger Delta (Delta, Edo and Rivers States).
Represented by the Director of Women Development in the Ministry of Women Affairs, Funke Oladipo, she lauded the progress so far in mainstreaming gender capacities and platforms for peace building, human security and social change among local women networks in selected communities in Edo, Delta and Rivers states.
She noted that localising the National Action Plan on UNSCR 1325 in selected local government areas in Bauchi, Borno and Gombe states has led to women’s participation in countering violent extremism in the region, urging WANEP to ensure the achievement of the aims of the project.
She said: “It gladdens my heart the extent of progress we are all making towards ensuring that women are fully integrated into peace building processes and decision making at all levels.
“The women peace and security agenda in Nigeria is a very key and strategic programme towards strengthening women’s voice to ending all forms of conflict associated violence against women and girls as well as integrate them into mediation and restoration of peace in conflict situations.”
She noted that: “The programme has greatly harnessed women’s important roles and responsibilities in constructing an enduring peace and security as well as achieving great feat in the implementation of the UNSCR 1325 in the country.”
Earlier, the National Coordinator WANEP-Nigeria, Bridget Osakwe lamented that women’s contribution to security has been overlooked even when they are relevant to the issues of mediation both at home and in the community, adding that women have the capacity to bring fresh dimensions to the conversation about peace.
Osakwe said: “Women have compassion, are connecting, and can influence both at home and in the community having 50% strength to contribute to peace in the community, state and Nigeria in general.”
On her part, the Head of Programmes at WANEP-Nigeria, Patience Igbanoba, called on the government to involve more women groups particularly those at the local levels in peace and security, insisting that women at the grassroots are at the point where crises emanates, see and know the signs and can inform security agencies on things observed and so the state actors should work with them to ensure peace in communities.
