Abuja – The Women International League for Peace and Freedom (WILPF), an NGO, says it has trained nearly 7,250 Nigerian women in peace-building techniques towards making the country a better place.
Its National President, Mrs Joy Onyesoh, stated this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Wednesday.
Onyesoh said that women, as agents of peace, were in a position to prevent conflict situations and resolve crises before they could escalate into major conflicts
“In Nigeria, we have presence in over 60 communities, we have trained close to 7, 250 women and we are currently working in 12 communities trying to localise the national action plan.
“This is what we have been doing over the years.
“We have been doing this with the support of our partners, with the support of our founders, with the support of our colleagues.
“So it has been a concerted effort about women’s participation in peace-building process and that women are not just victims in conflicts situation but that women have something valuable to add to the process.
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“That women have skills that can be harnessed to prevent violence; to prevent conflicts and also that women need protection during conflicts.”
She said that in the year 2000, the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 acknowledged that civilians, especially women, were increasingly targeted during conflicts.
It also acknowledged that the women were always excluded from peace processes.
The national president explained that the league came up as a platform to involve Nigerian women in security and peace-building efforts both nationally and internationally as their counterparts in other parts of the world.
Onyesoh further said that the NGO had since asked the Office of the UN Secretary-General to develop indicators that would help track the implementation of Resolution 1325.
Onyesoh, therefore, advised Nigerian women to create and implement a holistic action plan aimed at preventing conflicts and ensuring security wherever they might find themselves.
NAN reports that Resolution 1325 seeks to address not only the excessive impact of war on women, but also the pivotal role women should play in conflict management, conflict resolution, and sustainable peace. (NAN)