UN Women, media partner on northern women’s peace programme

However, they are often excluded from the negotiations on conflict resolutions and relegated to a marginal role in the post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts. Nigeria has been faced with security challenges particularly in some northern states. Several women and children have lost their lives, family members and property.The European Union and the Federal Government in […]

However, they are often excluded from the negotiations on conflict resolutions and relegated to a marginal role in the post-conflict reconstruction and reconciliation efforts.
Nigeria has been faced with security challenges particularly in some northern states. Several women and children have lost their lives, family members and property.
The European Union and the Federal Government in March this year signed an agreement for a 2.1 billion naira project aimed at promoting women’s engagement in peace and security in the northern states. It is also aimed at improving protection for women and children in conflict settings.
The project which is wholly funded by the European Union is being implemented by the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) in partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).
It will be implemented in three northern states of the country for three years and they include; Gombe, Adamawa and Plateau states.
UN Women in collaboration with  other implementing partners on Tuesday in Abuja had an interactive session with select media houses geared towards best approaches for the  implementation of the programme.
UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Dr Grace Ongile said violation of women and children come up often and without women’s involvement in mediation for peace there can be no development.
She said the media is key in making a difference with the programme and there is need for the organisation to work with the media.
While harping on the need for networking among the various stakeholders, she urged the media participants to prepare their minds, be open for dialogue and on how best they can encourage women to engage in peace processes and also make society see the need to involve them.
Media consultant to UN Women and Chief Executive Officer of Bronz and Onyx, Mrs  Moji Makanjuola  said the media is a veritable partner in the implementation of the programme and urged the journalists to go beyond the traditional disengaged journalistic role to become proactive as peace facilitators or councillors in the field.
She said the media now has an added advantage of modern communications technology which enables widespread access to information and opinion sharing which has great potential for creatively changing  how decisions are made and how large groups of people act.
Earlier in his presentation on the overview of the programme, Mr Peter Nwacha said the programmes activities include training and mentoring of key individual women leaders in the community to participate, review of existing peace architecture, providing direct programme support to key community leaders to engage intercommunity dialogue mediation efforts, launch of civil society organizations on conflict prevention and resolution, among others.
He said other implementing partners include; Federal Ministry of Women affairs and Social Development, security agencies, the media and civil society organizations to mention a few.
Some recommendations by the media participants at the event include; the use of local languages in reaching out to the women at the grassroots , effective use of the radio to publicize the programme and also enlighten the women since it is the most used mass medium by people in the targeted states, partnership with religious and traditional rulers, and making use of indigenous people and media, among others.