UN Women, NNWM Collaborate on Peaceful Cohabitation in Nigeria

Michael Olugbode in Abuja

The United Nations (UN) Women and the National Network of Women Mediators (NNWM) are interfacing to enhance peace cohabitation in Nigeria.

The two came up with strategies to strengthen the integration of state-level women mediation networks into national and regional network of women mediators, as well as their larger commitment to improving synergies and collaborative engagement for enhancing women’s leadership in peace processes and gender responsive mediation in Nigeria.

In her goodwill message at the Second Annual Forum of Women Mediators in Nigeria themed – Women Leading Peace Building: Amplifying the Role of Nigerian Women Mediators” – the Minister of Women Affairs, Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, noted the Annual Forum of Women Mediators is one of the strategic initiatives within the framework of the Programme on Women Peace and Security in Nigeria (Phase II), being implemented by UN Women, with support from the Government of Norway, and the Enhancing Gender-Responsive Security Operations and Community Dialogue Project in Nigeria (Phase II), funded by the Government of Germany.

She said: “The overall objective of these initiatives is to attain a more peaceful and gender-equal society by creating an enabling environment for the implementation of the Women Peace and Security Commitments through strengthening policy frameworks, capacity, coordination, and oversight of federal and state entities and increasing the meaningful participation of women to deliver on UNSCR 1325 commitments for conflict prevention and sustainable peace.”

The minister explained that: “A major component of these Programmes is designed to strengthen the capacity of Nigerian women mediators and promote their leadership in peacebuilding and conflict prevention, while enhancing collaboration, learning, and coordination among women mediation networks and peacebuilding architectures at all levels, in line with the provisions of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325.

“Efforts are made to support women’s mediation capacities, networks, and actions for conflict prevention and peacebuilding.

“Moreover, women in their diversity are supported to ensure that those in conflict-affected grassroots communities are empowered to voice and assert their rights to protection and have enhanced collaboration with security institutions to address community security needs in an inclusive and gender-responsive manner.”

On her part, UN Women Country Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, noted that the specific objectives of this 2nd Annual Women Mediators Forum include development of actionable steps and modalities for increasing leadership capacity, influence the participation of Nigerian women mediators in mediation and the implementation of Nigeria’s 3rd National Action Plan (NAP) on Women Peace and Security.

Others include to strengthen collaboration and coordination among existing mechanisms and identify sustainable platforms for strengthening collaboration and coordination among women mediators, government agencies, academia, peace building architectures, civil society organizations, and international partners to support peace building efforts.

She also said it would foster cross-learning and experience sharing by creating a platform for local, sub-national, and national networks of women mediators to engage in cross-learning and sharing of innovative strategies to enhance women’s mediation capacities and utilization in Nigeria.

Eyong said: “UN Women remains committed to promoting gender equality and women empowerment. Remember, women mediators play a crucial role in promoting the women, peace and security agenda and it is important that the networks of women mediators continue to work together to harness opportunities to broaden access and space for women’s leadership in peace processes. Together, we can create a just, peaceful and inclusive society.”