Gender equality: UN Women inaugurated three programmes in Kaduna
By: Femi Mustapha
The United Nations Women, in collaboration with the Kaduna State Government has inaugurated three programmes to increase support for gender equality and women empowerment in the state.
They are: Programme on Women/Peace/Security, Advancement of Women’s Political Participation Affirmative Procurement in Nigeria, and the HeForShe Campaign in the state.
Ms Beatrice Eyong, the UN Women Country Representative, said at the inauguration in Kaduna that the programme on Women, Peace and Security in Nigeria, Phase II, was developed with funding from the Government of Norway.
Eyong, represented by the Mr Lansana Wonneh, the Deputy Country Representative, said that the three-year programme, 2022 to 20224, was designed to attain a more peaceful and gender-equal society.
This, she said, would be achieved by creating an enabling environment through strengthening policy frameworks, capacity, coordination, and oversight by federal and state entities.
She added that it would equally increase the meaningful participation of women to deliver on the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 commitments for conflict prevention and peace building.
She said that the programme was built in Phase 1, 2019 to 2021, adding that the Phase II will focus on four specific areas.
She identified one of the areas as the development of Nigeria’s 3rd National Action Plan on women, peace, and security; and enhanced legislative engagement and actions.
According to her, others are:  to create an enabling environment for women’s leadership, participation in politics and decision-making positions, as well as support women’s mediation capacities, networks, and actions for conflict prevention and peace building.
Eyong said that the HeForShe campaign, was being funded by the Government of Norway as one of the strategies to engage men and boys as gender advocates.
She added that the champions would be promoting gender equality and the women, peace, and security agenda, adding that a functional HeForShe Network was recently established in the state with over 50 members.
The members are drawn from different sectors, including the traditional and religious institutions, government agencies, the CSO and the media,” she said.
She also explained that the Advance Women’s Political Participation Programme with support from the Government of Canada was to address the low participation and representation of women in politics.
The UN country representative said that through the project, UN Women would support women’s participation in the election and appointment in the 2023 electoral circle and beyond
She also explained that the Affirmative Procurement in Nigeria Project was to support institutional strengthening reforms to improve women-led businesses and access to public procurement.
She added that the project was also to develop gender- responsive-procurement initiatives as part of the COVID-19 response strategy.
She described gender-responsive procurement as “the selection of services, goods and civil works that considers the impact on gender equality and women’s empowerment”.
Also speaking, UN Women Programme Specialist, Mrs Peter Mancha, said that gender inequality was widespread in the country.
Mancha attributed the development to the patriarchy, deeply entrenched discriminatory cultural practices, and weak implementation of gender equality policies, operational frameworks, and laws.
He said that women in Nigeria were grossly under-represented in political leadership and decision-making structures, with only 4.5 per cent elective and 11 per cent appointive positions occupied by women.
He described the HeForShe as a “solidarity movement” that provides a systematic approach and targeted platform on which men and boys can engage and become change agents towards the achievement of gender equality.
