The United Nations Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, has described gender inequality as an impeding factor stopping Nigeria from achieving the MDGs and SDGs targets.
Eyong, while addressing the audience at the UN Women Nigeria Media Partners Conference 2023 in Abuja, said achieving 35 percent affirmative action was important to bring about development in Nigeria.
Eyong noted that women were only asking for equal opportunities for all genders to excel, adding that the call for gender equality was not a move to challenge men for their position.
“We are not talking about women taking over men’s position but to provide equal opportunities to women just as men, removing the inequalities that block people from progressing.”
Citing the theme of the conference “Escalating media action for women’s empowerment and ending violence against women and girls,” Eyong called on the media to help end gender-based violence, women empowerment and equality.
“The work we do is changing behaviour and we know the media can help us. We want to bring women’s issues to the front burner.” She said.
Eyong, also disclosed that the call for gender equality is not a move to challenge men for their position adding that women were only asking for equal opportunities for all genders to excel.
“We are not talking about women taking over men’s position but to provide equal opportunities to women just as men, removing the inequalities that block people from progressing.” She added.
In his keynote address Resident Coordinator of the United Nations, Matthias Schmale, said the media can hold policymakers and the government accountable and make demands that governments cannot ignore.
He added that the power of the media to cause mass behavioural change cannot be over-emphasized noting that the UN interventions and efforts to change social norms and harmful traditional practices cannot be achieved within SDG-proposed timelines if the media is not in the driver’s seat.
He however highlighted that Achieving SDG 5 – Gender Equality – is capital intensive and the media can get the government to increase its budgetary allocation to women’s empowerment as well as insist on transparent budget planning and implementation.
According to him, the UN is working with the government on gender-responsive budgeting; with the media, they can record massive success in this intervention, similarly, The one-stop centres for GBV survivors can only be sustained by adequate funds; reports from the media to a large extent can mobilise resources for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
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