Abuja (Women Affairs Ministry News) – Gender experts have lauded the commitment of the Nigerian Government to the global agenda following an appraisal on Nigeria’s performance twenty years after the famous Beijing Declaration and the Platform for Action set the goals for the empowerment of women, saying it has created a deep and wide impact in the advancement of women in the country.
This observation was the high point of a One-Day National Stakeholders Validation Meeting on the Beijing+20 Country Report held in Abuja on Friday June 20, 2014.
In his speech at the occasion, the Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Habiba Muda Lawal stated that the declaration has guided policy making and inspired new national laws which have resulted to the mainstreaming of gender issues and concerns in national life. He informed that 20 years after the Beijing Declaration, the issue of gender equality and women advancement at national, states and local levels have continued to gain prominence in development programmes. Adding, it is gradually shaping decision making processes at different levels of governance.
“In Nigeria, the policy and legal environment for designing and implementing gender responsive programmes is constantly being reformed and strengthened for effective response to emerging challenges by the day,” the Permanent Secretary revealed.
She also acknowledged that women were some of the leading beneficiaries of the Transformation Agenda, citing the appointment of more women into decision making positions, mainstreaming of gender and the establishment of Gender Units in Ministries, Departments and Agencies as well as the commitment of government to gender programming and budgeting as evidence.
Reflecting on the journey so far, he explained that it has not been an easy one, saying there is need for urgent action to fully ensure women’s access to opportunities and resources such as quality education, control and ownership of land, productive assets, women’s reproductive rights and taking steps in the form of temporary special measures to achieve women’s full participation in public and private-sector decision making.
Habiba Muda Lawal urged stakeholders to create accountable framework with concrete benchmarks as well as embrace collective ideas so as to achieve the desired goals on gender equality.
Speaking earlier, the UN country representative to Nigeria, Grace Ongile represented by Adekemi Ndieli commended the Ministry’s efforts towards gender equitythe and pledged UN’s continued support to issues surrounding women’s rights.
In another development, the Resource Person, Stella Amadi Odiase while reviewing the draft B+20 report said that even though a lot has been achieved on gender balance, sociocultural barriers, inadequate funding and gender violence/conflict have remained huge challenges making the poorest of the poor in Nigeria women.
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