Dame Tallen calls on UN member states, Civil Society, international community to ensure increased participation of women in peace building.
Oru Leonard
The Honourable Minster of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG has called on UN member states, Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) and the international community to ensure women’s increased participation in conflict prevention and peace building.
The Minister made this appeal at a High-Level Stakeholders Breakfast Meeting on Women’s Peace and Security Agenda in Nigeria held on Tuesday 15th, February 2022 in Abuja.
She said the special breakfast meeting was organized in collaboration with UN Women to provide stakeholders and key partners with the platform to be acquainted with key progress made in the implementation of the United Nation’s Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women Peace and Security Agenda in Nigeria beginning from the development and launch of the country’s 1st National Action Plan.
The Minister expressed the hope that the special breakfast meeting will propose ways forward in accelerating action on the implementation of the 3rd National Action Plan.
The meeting on the UNSCR 1325 for the 3rd NAP was attended by key representatives of Nigerian Government’s Ministry Departments and Agencies (MDAs); the UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator ad interim, Mr. Mathias Schmale; the Chairperson Senate Committee on Women Affairs and the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Comfort Lamptey. There were a body of High Commissioners and Ambassadors of Foreign Countries to Nigeria, from United Kingdom, Canada and others.
Also, on solidarity with the Honourable Minister was the Honourable Minister of State for National Planning, Prince Jeddy Agba.
The minister reminded attendees that the UNSCR 1325 is a grand breaking resolution on the body of International Human Right Laws and Legal instrument that armed conflicts’ impact women differently from men and demands protection of women and girls during armed conflicts and post conflict situations.
She said the resolution is hinged on four pillars of Prevention, Participation and Peace building and Recovery adding that in Nigeria, the Ministry of Women Affairs with other key Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as Civil Society Organization, UN Women and other UN Agencies and Development Partners provide leadership, overall guidance and supervision for the implementation of the UNSCR 1325.
At the special meeting, the UN Women Representative, Peter Manja took attendees through a special presentation which is an update of the ‘Implementing the Women, Peace Mandate in Nigeria: The Journey so far and Future Opportunities’.
The Minister of Women Affairs who was represented by her Permanent Secretary, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, FNSE disclosed that the States where NAP has been domesticated so far, are Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Bornu, Delta Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Nasarawa, Plateau, Rivers and Yobe.
The Minister further disclosed some of the achievements recorded in Nigeria concerning the implementation and advancement of the NAP:
Establishment of Gender Desk Offices in almost all Government MDAs; Visible and commendable Security Sector Reforms; launching of a website for Nigeria on Women Peace and Security (www.wpsnigerian.net), amongst others.
The Minister thanked all partners who have supported her Ministry in the development and implementation of Nigeria’s 1st and 2nd NAP listing them to include UN Women, UNICEF, UNDP and other UN agencies, European Union, Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Program, Government of Norway and Germany, WANEP, Search for Common Ground, ActionAid and several CSOs, Women Groups and Networks, Traditional Institutions, the Nigeria Military, the Police and other Security Agencies as well as the Media.
Earlier, the Permanent Secretary of Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, Engr. Olufunso Adebiyi, FNSE in his welcome address had thanked all the partners and the Representatives of Key Nigerian Government and MDAs for their contributions.
The Minister for Budget and Planning (State), Prince Clement Agba, Ms. Comfort Lamptey, the UN Representative for Nigeria and ECOWAS, EU delegates, all gave goodwill messages at the special breakfast meeting.
By Udeh Nnenna
Signed.
Olujimi Oyetomi, Director, Press and Public Relations.
