UN pledges to advancing women’s rights in Nigeria

By


 The organisation has supported the Nigerian woman in key initiatives, including the National Gender Policy (2021-2026), Women Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy, and the Third National Action Plan of UNSCR 1325.

UN Women, a gender arm of the United Nations, has reaffirmed its commitment to uphold women’s human rights as well as their political and economic participation in Nigeria.

Dr Nesreen El-Molla, the UN Deputy Representative to Nigeria, stated this in Abuja at a joint accountability forum and orange lighting ceremony, with the theme “Towards Beijing +30: UNITE to End violence against women and girls” as part of activities in commemorating the #16daysofactivism to end violence against women and girls.

Dr El-Molla acknowledged that harmful practices against women remain prevalent in Nigeria despite some progress, and called for increased investment in reforms to protect their rights.

“Today is an opportunity to remind ourselves that we need to invest in prevention and response mechanisms to prevent violence against women and girls. The 3 domestications of the VAPP Act, supported by UN Women, has been a key milestone in combating GBV,” the UN official explained.

“UN Women has been also investing in providing a holistic package of services to GBV survivors, expanding services, setting up shelters, improving policies and working closely with community leaders to address harmful practices,” she said.

Dr El-Molla also pointed out that UN Women has been working “very closely” with the UN System and development partners to jointly address violence against women and girls.

“As co-chairs of the Gender Thematic Group,” she continued, “we are proud to provide a platform to coordinate efforts, showcase achievements, identify gaps, and inspire collaboration for greater impact”.


The Orange Lighting Ceremony serves as a powerful symbol of hope, unity, and “our collective vision” for a world free of violence and inequality, she stressed.

Francis Koessan, Deputy Representative of UNFPA, called for stronger collaboration among stakeholders, greater engagement with men and boys, and advocacy for policy implementation to end GBV, alongside increased investment in preventive measures to ensure the safety of women and girls.

Koessan affirmed UNESCO’s commitment to the goals of the Beijing Platform for Action, particularly in advancing gender equality through education and eliminating gender-based violence.

Hajiya Imaan Suleiman-Ibrahim, Nigeria’s Minister of Women Affairs, said closing gender gaps could boost Nigeria’s GDP by N15 trillion annually by 2025. She described the event as a platform to reaffirm commitment to advancing gender equality and ending violence against women and girls.

“Women constitute 49% of our population and account for 41% of small and medium-scale enterprise (SME) owners. Yet their representation in senior leadership is just 22%, with only 3.6% holding seats in parliament,” she remarked.

“These disparities represent untapped potentials that if harnessed, could drive our nation’s development forward.”


The Nigeria Beijing Report, a comprehensive document detailing activities around the SDGs and the Beijing Platform for Action over the past five years, was unveiled.

Report Consultant Dr Felicia Onibon called on UN partners and development agencies to develop strategic plans to support the Nigerian government in addressing gaps identified in the report.

Writing by Hadiza Abdulrahman

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Water Scarcity Threatens Maternal Health in FCT Communities

By
Image
  A woman washing at a stream in Wassa IDP Camp in the FCT. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman Nigeria faces significant challenges in guaranteeing the human right to water for its population. A 2022 World Bank report reveals that  60 million  Nigerians lacked access to basic drinking water, and in 2021, over 100 million lacked basic sanitation. This deficiency leads to waterborne diseases like cholera, diarrhea, and typhoid, causing millions of deaths annually, especially among children under five.  women and girls are disproportionately affected , spending hours collecting water and facing risks, leaving them little or no time for education, work, or other activities, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Maternal health is also severely impacted, with expectant and new mothers facing increased risks without clean water. In Takushara, Abuja, young girls collecting water from a canal. Photo: Hadiza Abdulrahman TAKUSHARA In Abuja, the nation’s capital, some commun...
Read more

UN, Media Executives Sign MoU to advance Gender Equality

By
Image
Ms. Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative in Nigeria The UN Women in Nigeria has signed a Memorandum of Understanding  with several media organizations in Abuja to advance gender equality and women's empowerment.  On September 8, media executives from the southern part of the country signed a similar undertaking in Lagos. Ms. Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women representative in Nigeria, noted that the meeting presents an opportunity to examine and explore opportunities where the media could make impact in addressing challenges faced by women and girls. She pointed out  that the MoU would provide a framework for collaboration and collaboration to strengthen partnership in escalating media advocacy to promote women's economic empowerment, prevention of violence against women and girls and increasing women's representation and leadership along humanitarian, development and peace nexus. "Media is a tool that has been used over time in educating the society and accelerati...
Read more

Experts Advocate Increased Women Leadership in Biodiversity

By
Image
  Hadiza Abdulrahman  Experts have advocated increased inclusion of women’s leadership in biodiversity to strengthen sustainable and effective conservation strategies. This was the focus of a roundtable on Women and Biodiversity Leadership, held under the Scientific Diplomacy Programme organized by the Embassy of Spain and the Spanish Cooperation Office in Nigeria, with support from the European Union. The roundtable on women’s leadership in biodiversity highlighted the crucial role of women in biodiversity conservation and discussed strategies to close the gender gap in biodiversity science. It also explored innovative approaches to integrating gender considerations into biodiversity policies. They called on stakeholders to address gender inequalities and ensure women's full participation in the sector, while also urging the government to provide adequate funding, inclusive policy development processes, strengthening network for knowledge sharing, enhance access to reso...
Read more