By Gift Olivia Samuel
The Minister of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, has disclosed that her Ministry will continue to support increased women’s participation in peace and security processes, peace negotiations, conflict prevention and resolution by showcasing best case practices.
The Minister said this Tuesday, at a Consultative Meeting of the Security Sector Reference Group on United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria.
This group she said, was inaugurated in June 2020 to provide the framework amongst others to ensure greater collaboration and interaction between gender-specific structures of security sector actors in the country.
She remarked that Nigeria’s National Action Plans(NAPs) have aided the mainstreaming of gender in various Ministries, Department and Agencies, (MDAs) and also contributed to Security Sector Reforms in the country, which include the Establishment of Gender Units and appointment of dedicated Senior Officers as Gender Officers in various security agencies, including capacity building to support gender mainstreaming in policy and operational functions.
Dame Tallen further noted that while planning for the development of NAP-3, there is the need to pay attention to the domestication of the UNSCR 1325 in the six geo-political zones of the country, stating, however, that since the implementation of this Resolution in Nigeria, only 14 States—Adamawa, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Borno, Delta, Gombe, Kaduna, Kano, Kogi, Plateau, Rivers, Nasarawa and Yobe have developed their State Action Plans, and 10 out of these States have gone further to develop their Local Action Plans.
“As we work towards developing the third National Action Plan (NAP-3), the experiences and lessons learnt in the implementation of NAP-1 and NAP-2 would serve as reference points”, she said. “We expect that NAP-3 will identify and capture current Women, Peace and Security priorities and key interventions needed in Nigeria, including the COVID-19 pandemic and other emerging issues, and specifics for each of the six geo-political zones of the Country”.
She assured that under her watch, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs will lead on the implementation of this initiative, adding that they will work in partnership with and support from partners, including the services of Women, Peace and Security expert consultants.
The Minister expressed hope that the presentation and validation of the draft Training Manual for Security Sector Institutions, will provide a holistic framework to build the capacity of the target beneficiaries and provide support mechanisms for actualizing the goal of mainstreaming Gender in the overall Security Architecture of the country.
She urged participants at the Consultative meeting to recommend a comprehensive strategy for the development of Nigeria’s NAP-3, including mapping of stakeholders at National, Regional, State, and local levels to be engaged in the process.
