UN Women, PS  Launches $25m GBV Fund

Oluchi Chibuzor

The gender-responsive organised private sector (OPS), with the support of United Nation Women, has launched a $25 million gender based violence (GBV) fund.

The fund is expected to be a contribution from the OPS in Nigeria, which goes beyond corporate social responsibility to intentional gender-responsive and gender-specific interventions that would curb violence against women and girls and enhance women’s empowerment.

Speaking about the initiative, UN Women Regional Director for West & Central Africa, Mr. Maxime Houinato, who is in Nigeria for an executive visit, met with representatives of the private sector companies and CEOs where the $25 million private sector-led GBV Fund was launched.

Houinato, reiterated that “the private sector plays a critical cross-cutting role in advancing gender equality and women’s empowerment, including women’s political participation, economic empowerment, and violence against women and girls, and therefore should escalate its efforts in promoting and investing in issues of women’s livelihood and access to economic opportunities.”

In her welcome remark, the UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Ms. Beatrice Eyong, stated that the financial implication of GBV is enormous and insisted “that if the prevalence of violence against women and girls reduces, family income and earnings will improve and so will the economy of the society at large.”

The high-level roundtable meetings with the private sector was organised in Lagos by WISCAR and WIMBIZ, which are leading economic empowerment non-profit organisations focusing on promoting women-owned businesses and improving the capacity of women in doing business.