Recently, top international organizations championing gender equality partnered the Nigerian government to promote women inclusion in peace and security in northern Nigeria. ENE OSANG writes
The clamour for gender equality at decision making levels in Nigeria has taken a more serious look as the call to achieving this aim leaves no sector out.
One of such agitation is the demand for women active inclusion in peace and security processes, particularly in northern Nigeria where terrorism is at its peak.
It is against this backdrop that the European Union funded a programme being implemented by United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of women (UN Women) in partnership with UNICEF, and the Federal and State Ministries of Women Affairs and Social Development.
It would be recalled that the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security was adopted by the UN Security Council in October 2000.
The resolution presents a comprehensive mandate to address women’s protection and their role in peace processes. It also calls for a comprehensive assessment on the impact of armed conflict on women and girls, role of women in peace building and the gender dimensions of peace processes and conflict resolution, and recognises the importance of women participation and the inclusion of gender perspectives in peace negotiations, humanitarian planning, peacekeeping operations, post-conflict peace-building and governance for the attainment of sustainable peace.
Fifteen years after the passage of UNSCR 1325, there is widespread concern that progress made at the normative and policy levels has not been translated into significant improvements in the lives of women and girls in conflict and post-conflict countries.
Nigeria is no exception to this, given the incessant violent conflict and high level of insecurity that has over the years reverberated in various part of Northern Nigeria.
These conflicts have led to the death of many, destruction of properties and means of livelihood, abduction of vulnerable groups (especially women and girls), trauma and displacement to mention a few.
Research have shown that Women and children bear most of the brunt of these crises, yet are often excluded in peace building and conflict resolution processes, even though they are about 50% of Nigeria’s population, have enormous potentials and represent an insignificant number in decision making processes at all levels.
It is on this note that Nigeria’s first National Action Plan (NAP) which ran from 2013-2016 was developed and launched by the ministry of women affairs and social development in Abuja in 2013.
According to the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development Senator Aisha Jumai Alhassan, ‘’the first NAP which expired in 2016, had gaps and did not take care of emerging issues like the insurgency, violent extremism, and other security related issues especially as it affects women.
Senator Alhassan said it therefore became imperative to have the NAP revised, to enable women be included in peace building, peacekeeping, as well as conflict resolution and management.
Delivering a keynote address at the launch of the second National Action Plan 2017-2020, Alhassan further stressed the need to improve human security especially for women and girls in Nigeria.
She explained that the second action plan priorities provide frameworks for responding to the distinctive contexts and unique women, peace and security concerns in each state and across the six geo-political zones of the country.
She emphasised the roles of state governors, ministers and chief executives of Ministries Departments and Agencies (MDAs) especially the security outfits, law enforcement agencies and the judiciary, in providing the necessary political will and resources
‘’The major women’s peace concerns at the state levels are Insecurity and transnational boarder crimes, gender responsive inclusion in peace architecture, violence against women, girl and children and communal crises,’’ she said.
