'Yomi Ayeleso, Author at Tribune Online

The Director-General, National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS) Prof. Abubakar Sulaiman, has recommended the involvement of the Legislature in the implementation of the National Action Plan (NAP) on Women, Peace and Security (WPS). Sulaiman made the recommendation on Monday at the opening of a two-day retreat for members of the Adamawa State House of Assembly in Abuja. The retreat which was organised by NILDS in collaboration with the UN-Women and the governments of Germany and Canada was titled “Roles of Legislators in Supporting the Implementation of State Action Plans (SAPs) on Women Peace and Security (WPS)” The DG recalled that 24 years ago, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 1325 (2000) on WPS. According to him, the resolution was the first UN resolution to recognise the central role of women as change agents in contributing to international peace and security. The DG said the resolution underlined the importance of women's equal participation and full involvement in all efforts to maintain and promote peace and security. He said that Nigeria domesticated the resolution through the development of a national-level strategy, known as the National Action Plan (NAP) and he rolled out its first and second NAPs for the 2013-2017 and 2017-2020 periods respectively. According to him, the NAP has been further localised through the development of State Action Plans (SAPs) in 16 states and Local Action Plans (LAPs) and Ward Action Plans (WAPs). He said, " However, despite best intentions and efforts, commitments are yet to be fulfilled. One of the reasons for this is the fact that legislators have not been carried along in the implementation of the NAPs/SAPs on the WPS agenda. “Indeed, the National Assembly and State Houses of Assembly are uniquely positioned to promote peace, gender equality and women's empowerment by virtue of their tripartite functions of law-making, oversight and representation, as contained in Section 4(2) and Section 4(7) of the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria. “The role of the Nigerian legislature in the successful implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda is therefore tied to its constitutional mandate, and as such should be given adequate attention. “For example, through its appropriation and budget-approving powers, the legislature can ensure that sufficient resources are committed to WPS issues and that monies so appropriated are not only disbursed in a timely fashion but also spent according to the wishes of parliament as defined in the National/State Budget,” he said. In his remarks, the Deputy Speaker of Adamawa State House of Assembly, Mr Mohammed Jijiwa said that the retreat offered a unique opportunity for the lawmakers to engage in meaningful discussions, and share experiences. He said that it was an opportunity to explore innovative solutions on how to effectively discharge their responsibility as legislators in the implementation of the action plan on women in Adamawa. “We will delve into critical issues such adoption of plans on women in peace and security, gender-based violence, economic empowerment, and women's participation in governance peace and security. “As leaders, it is our responsibility to create an enabling environment that fosters peace, security, and inclusivity for all citizens, particularly women. “Through this retreat, we aim to strengthen our collective commitment to promoting women's rights, peace, and security in Adamawa." Earlier, the Programme Manager, UN-Women, Mr Peter Mancha said that gender had become a very critical aspect of every development as no meaningful development can be achieved without integrating gender. He said that though gender sits at number five of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) non can be achieved without gender mainstream. According to him, addressing the menace of poverty or out-of-school children won’t be possible without the involvement of women and girls who make the bulk of the poor. He said that for women to be meaningfully productive in every sector, they need to be economically empowered. Mancha said that Nigeria ranks low when it comes to women's involvement in politics and in decision-making processes saying that there is a need to emulate countries like Rwanda, South Africa, and Kenya among others. ALSO READ FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE We must prioritise impacts of laws, policies on Nigerians — DG NILDS