Dame Tallen accepts UN’s offer to serve on Committee against genocide.
Oru Leonard
With the visit of the Under Secretary General and Special Adviser of the United Nation’s Secretary General on Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu of Kenya, yesterday, 1st of June, 2022 bearing the request of the UN Sec. Gen to have the Nigeria’s Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG, serve on the UN Committee to perfect the UN Framework for Analysis and Prevention of Atrocities which seek to eliminate a group or groups of people, the post-2023 preoccupation of Dame Tallen may just be getting defined. At the end of the process, the Framework for Analysis and Prevention of Atrocities will be presented to the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The Honourable Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG has said “Yes” to the offer from the UN Secretary General, Antonio Guterres for Nigeria to “borrow” the World body the indefatigable champion of women and peace issues, to reinforce the UN Committee on Prevention of Genocide to go round countries and continent of the world to help articulate and perfect not only the framework for analysing but also develop UN policy that will prevent atrocities which are directed at or may lead to the elimination of a group or groups of persons such as were witnessed in Rwanda and some other parts of the World.
Dame Tallen has earlier acknowledged the work and mandate given to Under Secretary General and Special Adviser of the United Nation’s Secretary General on Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu as “risky but strategic to the world” stating that “Women are calling for peace and we must give peace a chance”, added that “We must work and find solutions to issues affecting peace and causing violence in our world such as the Under Secretary and UN Advisor identified as atrocity crimes.”
So, the Honourable Minister of Women Affairs will be joining the twelve (12) very eminent persons around the world, women who contribute to peace building in the world, whose works and efforts have been building peace in their immediate communities, their nations and the global community which will be convened from July, 2022 in Italy to draw up a framework for analysis of atrocity crimes. The UN Under Secretary revealed that even though the UN already has a ‘Framework for Analysis for the Prevention of Atrocity Crimes’ “does not sufficiently carry the marks of women; does not reveal issues that are seen from the lens of women even though what women brings to the table is perspective”, she said.
Expatiating, the United Nation’s Secretary General on Prevention of Genocide, Alice Wairimu Nderitu submitted that it is very strange that we continue to entrust the making of peace to men alone, yet when we get into an airplane piloted by a woman, we will not say no, we will not board this plane; questioning why women are not readily brought on board when peace is being put in place.
Alice Wairimu Nderitu disclosed that Dame Tallen is being requested to bring up the voice of women, the perspective of women in Nigeria and Africa and elsewhere and to lead the womenfolk to do the job of articulating the perspectives of women to peace building for the team to end up in the Office of the UN Secretary General to present the document before the General Assembly, document which will inform the UN Policy on Peace Building and Prevention of Atrocity Crimes that may lead to Genocide.
(FMWA Media)
