A Non-Governmental Organization, Search for Common Ground has commenced dissemination of Gombe State Plan on United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR) across the three senatorial districts of the state to enable the inclusion of women in peace process.
The State Coordinator of the organization, Chorbe Joshua Gonlur announced the commencement during a visit to the Senior District Head of Mallam Sidi in Kwami local government Area, Gombe north senatorial district.
He said that the programme was supported by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) in collaboration with Gombe state government.
Gonlur said that UN- Women is implementing European Union funded programme in partnership with the Nigeria government on promoting women engagement in peace and security building in northern States.
He said the story in Gombe was complete when the State Action Plan was produced and launched in December and is now being disseminated to the 11 local government areas, so that it will be domesticated, with more involvement of women in decision making for peace and security at all levels.
“The Action plan was produced based on the common knowledge that no community can survive in the midst of conflict, which often affect all, but with greater percentage of the burden on laid on women and girls, in terms of displacement and death of loved ones.
“It causes physical insecurity to the women and girls because they become vulnerable to higher tendencies of not only victims but agents and active participants of armed conflict”, Gonlur added.
“We are taking to the grassroots the State Action Plan on the UN Security Council Resolution for women inclusion in peace and security in Nigeria and will cover the three Senatorial Districts in the State, so that the information contained in the state action plan will be disseminated to reach all people at the grassroots for the involvement of women to prevent, resolve and promote existing peace and security in the state.
Also speaking, the Permanent Secretary, Gombe State Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Ishaku Mohammed, said the dissemination in the three senatorial districts in the state had become imperative to enable the inclusion of women in the peace process.
“This stakeholders meeting is organized to enable us strategize and disseminate the state action plan on UNSCR 1325 in Gombe State, to ensure its wide spread in all the LGAs, in line with the programme objective, we hope that this will improve women and girls’ participation in peace building and gender dissemination in the peace and security agenda in Gombe State and to plan ahead for the development of Local Action Plan that will best suit our local governments,” Mohammed said.
While speaking during her presentation, One of the UN Women Lead Mentors in the State, Mrs. Naomi Maiguwa said women take the brunt in conflict situations.
“Women have endured sexual violence, assault, with resultant infections, HIV, sexually transmitted infections. Women suffer human rights abuses. Right to good life they do not have it. Because redress is not available, sometimes the government agents who perpetrate the abuses cannot be subjected to the rule of law.
She said that , despite the effect on conflict on the woman and girl, they most often not involved in decision making on preventing, resolving or sustaining peace and security and according to the United Nations Development Fund for Women, UNIFEM, despite the woes women face in conflict and post conflict situations, they account for only 10% of members in formal peace negotiations and less than 2% are signatories to peace agreements.
“Hence the UN Resolution 1325, which led various member countries to produce the National Plan that best meet the needs of women of the countries.
The National action plan helped states to equally draw up theirs, which also meet specific needs of the states.
Maiguwa, took participants through the process and its provisions in Gombe State, saying it was the key to the attainment of peace in the state.
“The Gombe State Action Plan shall provide good roadmap for the implementation of UNSCR 1325 with practical operational tools for supporting those affected by conflict. It aligns with government policy on peace, security and good governance. Human capital development and social inclusion backed by all the commitments to tackle all forms of exclusion, therefore ensuring sustainable development. And so we have this institutional arrangement and the state peace architecture, which means the institutions that are in charge peaceful co-existence, Mrs. Maiguwa said.
Also speaking the UN Women Technical Advisor in Gombe State,Rhoda Dia, who spoke with stakeholders at all levels, because of its importance, said the organization does not want to keep the action plan in Gombe, but take it to every part of the state for the needed action for peace and security .
“We want you to have access to it, so that all of you will be conversant with the provisions of State Action Plan, so that you can be part of the implementation. So all of you are brought here today so that we can give you copies when you go back to your respective LGAs, you share it with relevant stakeholders,” Dia said.
The UN Women, she said, believes that the Gombe State Action Plan for the inclusion of women in decision making and therefore called on traditional rulers in Gombe State to involve women in decision making and part of the council, so that they would be part of conflict prevention and resolution.
