The United Nations Women (UN Women) has decried that are emerging threats to women’s peace and security (WPS) including insurgency and endemic poverty that need to be urgently addressed.
Speaking on Tuesday at the Validation Workshop of 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) on Women Peace and Security in Nigeria, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong said: “As we prepare to celebrate the twenty-fourth anniversary of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in October this year, we need to remind ourselves that there are emerging threats to women’s peace and security, including insurgency and endemic poverty that need to be addressed.”
She insisted that: “It’s crucial to create an environment where women can actively contribute, and have their voices heard in developing and implementing solutions to address the root causes of conflict and promote peace, at all levels.”
She noted that the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), unanimously adopted on 31 October 2000 has led to a shift in the architecture of peace processes and reconstruction, including a major catalyst for the advancement of gender equality and the promotion of women’s rights in the area of peace and security.
She added that: “The UNSCR 1325 builds on a body of international human rights laws and legal instruments and recognizes that armed conflict impacts women differently from men, and therefore demands protection of women and girls before, during and after armed conflict . It also recognizes women’s role as peace builders and agents of change, and calls on UN and member states, civil society, and the international community to ensure women’s increased participation in conflict prevention and peacebuilding processes. prevention of conflict and all forms of violence against women and girls in conflict and post-conflict situations.”
Eyong noted that: “Nigeria’s heroic decision to address contextualized women’s peace and security issues have been made possible with the adoption and implementation of the first and second National Action Plan (NAP) on women, peace and security, adopted in 2013 and 2017, respectively. Over the years, these efforts have contributed to remarkable achievements, including domestication of laws and policies that protect women and girls’ rights; increase in Women’s Participation and Representation in Traditional decision making structures; establishment of functional women, peace and security architecture; development of State Action Plans (SAPs) in sixteen states, and local action plans, as well as enhancement of gender responsive security sector through the development Gender Policies and implementation mechanisms for security sector institutions. Additionally, there are ongoing initiatives aimed at strengthening enabling environment for diverse women and girls to play greater role in peace and security decision making processes towards achieving sustainable and integrated security that promotes ownership and accountability through inclusive governance and innovative financing systems.”
She said: “It is important to note that the 3rd NAP aligns with national development priorities of Nigeria and is guided by and reflects the following important principles: (i) High-Level Political Will; (ii) Do No Harm/Safeguarding; (iii) Legislative & Compliance Mechanisms (iv) Intersectionality, Ownership & Accountability; (v) Effective Communication and Reporting; and (vi) Strengthened Coordination and Partnership.”
She told the stakeholders that: “Together, we must work towards addressing women’s needs and integrating their perspectives in conflict prevention, peacebuilding, and security processes to ensure the full achievement of a more inclusive, safe, peaceful, and prosperous society. UN Women remains committed to the WPS agenda and broadly the advancement of gender equality and women empowerment.”
