Global Network of Women Peacebuilders (GNWP) in partnership with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP) Nigeria with support from the Global Affairs Canada, Peace and Stabilization Operations Program (PSOPs) is implementing a project: “Localization of the Women, Peace and Security Resolutions in Nigeria”.
The project offers a sustained, localized approach to the implementation of WPS policies that fully integrates capacity-building on gender-responsive conflict and crisis analysis among local and national stakeholders.
Globally, women have been identified as vulnerable in the face of the violence that pervades the world. In spite of their vulnerability, women’s voices have persistently been subjugated and under-valued while lending their voice to peace and security discourse. The continued exclusion of women in peace processes especially in decision-making had raised global concerns on the need for women to enhance their capacities and address the effects of violence on them.
The mobilization of women from different conflicts across the globe who shared similar experiences led to some changes in policies and practice. In 2000, the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 1325, pushed forward by Namibia and Bangladesh – countries that had experienced violent conflicts. The United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 requires member nations to support women’s participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction, to take action to prevent violence against women and girls, to respect women’s rights and mainstream gender in all work around peace and security.
Since the adoption of the UNSCR 1325, other complementary resolutions have been adopted to address the gaps identified in UNSCR 1325. Collectively referred to as the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) Resolutions, the corresponding resolutions have included -UNSCR 1820 (2008), 1888 (2009), 1889 (2009) 1960 (2010), 2106 (2013), 2122 (2013), 2242 (2015), 2467 (2019) and 2493 (2019)[1]. The UNSCR 1325 is in line with the Sustainable Development Goal 5 and 16 which promote gender equality, peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, access to justice for all, effective and accountable institutions. To further the women, peace and security agenda, the United Nations Security Council also recognized the importance of implementing national plans for the resolutions.
Two decades after the adoption of the UNSC Resolution 1325 at the global level and seven years after Nigeria’s adoption of the National Action Plan (NAP) on UNSCR 1325, progress in implementation of the resolution has been minimal. In spite of the central roles played by women, including young women, in preventing and resolving conflicts, responding to crises and building sustainable peace, policy development and peacebuilding processes continue to exclude them, and lack gender-responsive conflict analysis. As a result, legislation, policies, and peace processes—including peace negotiations and the implementation of policies and peace agreements—fail to meet the needs of local women, youth and other marginalized groups, who face systemic, cultural and economic challenges that hinder their participation in peacebuilding and overall decision-making.
In order to promote long-term peace and stability, it has become imperative to strengthen women’s participation in peacebuilding and crisis management, and to support women-led responses to humanitarian emergencies, like the COVID-19 pandemic.
In carrying out this project, a Context – Specific Gender – Based Analysis Plus (GBA+) training will be held for key state and non – state actors involved in development planning across the country. This virtual training will aim to increase understanding of the meaning and importance of intersectionality approach to peacebuilding.
This will be followed by the Crisis and Risk Communication Strategy Workshop aimed to develop a systematic advocacy and communication strategy to call for gender responsive and conflict sensitive COVID -19 response and recovery. This will help build a broad – based support for gender responsive recovery from COVID -19 and for the meaningful inclusion of women in decision making on the recovery and raise awareness of the local authorities of the gendered impact.
Interested key development stakeholders promoting the rights of women and peace within communities in Nigeria, are invited to attend the 3- day virtual workshop with details as follows:
Date:
Tuesday April 13, 2021: Context – Specific Gender Based Analysis plus (GBA+) Training
Wednesday & Thursday April 14 -15, 2021: Crisis and Risk Communication Strategy Workshops
Time: 10.00 am daily
Zoom link and details –
https://zoom.us/j/92052855495?pwd=ZXZPNmZPS1I4cW4wQ01yc3oxNTVKUT09
Meeting ID: 920 5285 5495
Passcode: 508085