Beijing Declaration: stakeholders seek more action to bridge gender gap
Stakeholders have called for renewed efforts to prioritise and address gender inequality and women empowerment in Nigeria, 30 years after the adoption of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action (BPfA).
They made call in Abuja at a consultative meeting organized by the Ministry of Women Affairs in collaboration with UN Women and development partners, ahead of the 69th Session of the Commission on the Status of Women (CSW69), to review Nigeria’s progress 30 years after adopting the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action.
Mrs Beatrice Eyong, UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, noted Nigeria’s progress in implementing BPfA, with commendable progress in women political participation over the past three decades.
“When I talk maybe women leadership will say, Oh, look at the National Assembly, but the private sector is having more than 20 per cent. “And for these last elections, what we saw was more confidence of political parties to align women on the electoral lists” Eyong noted.
“We might not have had all the results, but we have seen areas of progress such as economic empowerment, education and the fight against gender-based violence”.
She, said emerging challenges and new opportunities that requires collective action to drive transformative change. “This consultation is a crucial step in ensuring that Nigeria’s national report for CSW 69 is inclusive, reflective of diverse perspectives and aligned with the realities of women and girls across the country,” she said.
Eyong, therefore, urged the participants to be open, inclusive and proffer action-oriented discussions that would help define Nigeria’s key priorities at CSW 69 and beyond.
Dr. Felicia Onibon, International Lead Consultant, while presenting Nigeria’s Draft BPfA+30, revealed that the report shows progress in implementing the BDPFA, 30 years after it was adopted with a focus on the last five years (2020 – 2025).
Onibon, while noting the progresses made, explained that under the spotlight Initiative in Nigeria two Laws were developed, two strengthened, and three new laws received inputs from women’s groups and CSOs.
Onibon added that 3,009 government officials and parliamentarians’ capacity were strengthened on effective responses to GBV. While, 3,676 women groups, 789 government officials capacity were also strengthened to end VAWGs; and 3,676 women groups capacity was strengthen for gender-responsive budgeting.
She said that 99,985 girls and boys were reached through in-school Interventions, and 82,852 were reached through “out-of-school” interventions as part of efforts to advance social norms challenge amongst the youth and 16,725, 584 voices were amplified against GBV/HP in communities.
According to her, the report noted that government efforts had been bolstered by support from UN agencies, particularly UN Women, as well as other development organisations and local partners.
Onibon however, emphasised on the need to identify gaps and recommend planned priorities to accelerate progress in achieving gender equality and women empowerment.
“To address these gaps, the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs requires continued collaboration with international development agencies, local partners, and relevant government institutions such as the Ministry of Justice and the National Human Rights Commission,” she said.
Onibon, stressed that as Africa’s most populous nation, Nigeria faces unique challenges that require tailored interventions to ensure the full implementation of the BPfA.
Hajiya Imaan Sulaiman-Ibrahim, Minister of Women Affairs emphasised that while significant progress had been made in promoting women’s rights, more work was needed to bridge existing gaps.
Sulaiman-Ibrahim, represented by Mrs Friya Bulus, Director, Women Development, said:”we are here to recognise the progress made, assess our performance, our areas of challenges and look at what we need to put out as best practices over the years.
“We will be looking at the report critically, trying to see areas where there are identified gaps, and what we can do as consultants, as experts in our own fields to try to buttress those areas. ” And to come up with what the world will be listening to come Beijing CSW69,”she said.
The Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action adopted in 1995 at the Fourth World Conference on Women, remains one of the most comprehensive global policy frameworks for achieving gender equality.
It identified 12 critical areas of concern that required, and that still requires, and maybe we still require, urgent action, women and poverty, education and training of women, women and health, and violence against women.
Other areas include women and armed conflict, Women and the Economy, women in power and decision making, institutional mechanisms for the Advancement of Women, human rights of women, women, media, women and the environment.
Reporting by Hadiza Abdulrahman; Editing by Adeniyi Bakare
