SPRiNG Launches Gender Equality, Social Inclusion Report to Strengthen Women’s Role in Peacebuilding

Charles Ajunwa

As part of its commitment to gender inclusion in peacebuilding, Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme, a UK-backed initiative focused on fostering peace and stability in Nigeria’s North-west and North-central regions, has  launched its Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) Report.

By promoting inclusive governance and gender-responsive interventions, SPRiNG also aims to highlight the central role played by women, youth, and marginalised groups in conflict resolution. 

This critical study sheds light on the barriers and challenges women and marginalised groups face in conflict resolution and peacebuilding.

The report was unveiled at a high-level event  attended by women’s groups, civil society leaders, policymakers, and international development partners committed to advancing gender-responsive peace efforts in Nigeria.

The event served as a platform for key stakeholders to engage with the SPRiNG team on the findings and recommendations of the GESI report.

Discussions focused on  gender disparities in  peacebuilding, economic barriers, social  inclusion challenges, and the prevalence of  gender-based violence (GBV) in conflict-affected regions of the programme.

The SPRiNG GESI Report reveals that women and girls continue to face systemic exclusion from  peace negotiations and leadership roles despite bearing the greatest burden of  conflict. Limited access to education and  financial resources further hinders their  participation in decision-making, leaving them with little influence over the policies and processes that directly affect their lives. The  report also highlights the prevalence  of  gender-based violence, which is exacerbated  in conflict settings, where weak response  mechanisms leave survivors without  adequate support or justice.

Additionally, marginalised groups – including internally displaced persons (IDPs), persons with disabilities (PWDs), and ethnic  minorities -experience heightened  vulnerabilities due  to their exclusion from peacebuilding initiatives. Another critical insight from the report is the impact of climate change on gender equality, as resource scarcity disproportionately affects women, intensifying conflicts over land and water.

Speaking during the event on how conflict adversely affects women, Dr. Dayo Kusa, a peacebuilding, gender consultant, and former Director, Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR) said, “Women are not a monolithic entity. There are urban, rural and educated women, and therefore, when we study  the issues of how conflict affects women, we must take that into consideration.”

Also speaking on the report’s recommendation around promoting alternative masculinity framing to foster positive social narratives, she continued: “We  need more positive masculinity in the area of  conflict prevention, management, and  resolution because it ensures that all men are for progress.”