Ali Abare, Gombe
Gombe State has launched its peace architecture report as well as premièred short films and documentary on women, peace and security.
This is in line with the UN Women’s programme aimed at promoting women’s engagement in peace and security in the northern part of the country.
The state Peace Architecture Report was officially launched, on Thursday, at the Gombe International Hotel.
In a goodwill message during the event, Minister, Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Aisha Jummai Alhassan, said the launch of the document, is expected to explore innovative strategies that would sensitise and increase public awareness on various contextual issues related to women, peace and security.
Alhassan, represented at the event by a top official of the ministry, Iliyasu Omar Zubair, added that the video documentary and short films, would serve as tools for sensitization, advocacy and campaign in the state on gender and development.
“It will serve as a good medium for enlightenment of Gombe people in the context of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 and the newly second revised National Action Plan launched last year,” the Minister said.
She stated further that as part of the activities of the ministry to enhance women participation in peace building efforts, plans are underway to organize an inter-sectoral meeting of the federal MDAs on April 30, in collaboration with the UN Women and British High Commission.
Also commenting, state Minister for Budget and National Planning, Hajiya Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed, while commending the people of the state for the ensuring peace in Gombe State, noted however that the price of insecurity has better expression in the faces of women who lost their children, husbands and breadwinners as a result of conflicts.
The Minister lauded the launch of the peace roadmap supported by the UN Women, stressing that without the involvement of women, peaceful coexistence and security could hardly be achieved.
She said in line with UN Resolution 1325, her ministry, has ensured that women are mainstreamed into the reconstruction, resettlement and reintegration in the North East, embarked by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.
“Women are the first to notice early warning signs of war and insecurity but when we leave them out of the discourse, the end result is that we fail to achieve sustainable peace,” the Minister said.
Programme Manager, UN Women in Nigeria, Njeri Karuru, said the peace and security assessment report, short films and documentary, “are outputs of European Union funded programme tagged ” Promoting Women’s Engagement in Peace and Security in Northern Nigeria.”
Karuru added that goal of the programme was to strengthen the engagement of women in peace and security at all levels of decision making.
” Specifically, it seeks to strengthen women’s role in conflict prevention, peacemaking and peace building ” she said.
She called for the urgent passage of the gender and equal opportunity bill before the Gombe State assembly before political activities leading to the 2019 general election picks up.
The Peace Architecture Assessment Report was officially launched by Governor Ibrahim Hassan Dankwambo, represented at the event by the Head of Civil Service, Alhaji Adamu Abubakar.