Niger crisis: Toe line of dialogue, UN Women tasks ECOWAS

The United Nations Agency for Gender Equality and Women Empowerment (UN Women) has urged the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to toe the line of political dialogue with the Niger junta in resolving the crisis in that country. 

The UN Women Nigeria Deputy Representative, Mr. Lansana Wonneh, said this while speaking with newsmen Monday on the sideline of a sensitisation workshop on State Action Plans (SAPS) on Women, Peace and Security for members of state houses of assembly in Abuja. 

The workshop was organised by UN Women in collaboration with the National Institute for Legislative and Democratic Studies (NILDS). 

The leader of Niger junta, General Abdourahmane Tchiani, had, at a meeting with Nigeria’s Islamic clerics, reportedly expressed readiness for dialogue. 

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Wonneh said the best approach to resolve the crisis in Niger Republic was dialogue. 

He said, “My appeal to ECOWAS is to thread on the line of making peace through dialogue. There should be more political dialogue.” 

Meanwhile, Wonneh said the 16 states in Nigeria have, so far, developed and domesticated the action plan on UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on women, peace and security, which advocated women’s involvement in peace-building and peace-making processes. 

He, however, said the implementation of the action plan was not as robust as the UN had anticipated. 

“What is missing is the allocation of resources to implement the activities of the state action plans from the government side in different states,” he said. 

The Director General of NILDS, Prof Abubakar Sulaiman, represented by the institute’s Legal Director, Dr Shuaibu Danwanka, said the full implementation of the state action plans required the lawmakers’ legislative input and oversight, including enactment of relevant laws to ensure that women are given full recognition and consideration in security matters. 

He urged the lawmakers to work collaboratively with the executive to ensure that Nigerian women and girls enjoy equal participation in decision-making processes that affect the security of their lives.