The Federal Government has inaugurated Nigeria’s Third National Action Plan (NAP III) on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution(UNSCR)1325 on Women, Peace and Security, reaffirming Nigeria’s commitment to inclusion, gender equality and sustainable peace.
The NAP III UNSCR 1325,2024-2028, inaugurated by the First Lady of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, in Abuja, was spearheaded by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
The First Lady, represented by the Wife of Deputy Senate President, Laila Barau, explained that 25 years ago, through the UNSCR 1325, the global community recognised that women should not remain on the sidelines, but be active participants in shaping peace and security.
“Nigeria embraced this vision with the launch of our first and second national action plans.
“Today, guided by the Renewed Agenda of President Bola Tinubu, which prioritises inclusion, stability, and collective progress, we step forward with our third national action plan.
“While we acknowledge the progress made, we must not overlook the reality still faced by women and girls in communities affected by insecurity.
“In these challenging times, Nigerian women continue to demonstrate extraordinary strength, mediating in conflicts, rebuilding communities, and caring for their families.”
The first lady said the resilience of women reinforced the need to keep the women, peace, and security agenda at the forefront of all national priorities.
She encouraged all stakeholders, especially state governments, to champion the implementation of the action plan with urgency and dedication.
She also urged security agencies to intensify gender-sensitive reforms while appealing to traditional and faith leaders to use their influence to protect women and children, and encouraged men and boys to partner to ensure the full implementation of a just and equitable society.
In her address, Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Ibrahim-Sulaiman, explained that following the global adoption of UNSCR 1325 in 2000, Nigeria domesticated the commitment through the first NAP in 2013 and consolidated early gains with the second NAP in 2017.
“Today’s launch of the NAP III approved by President Bola Tinubu, aligns these national efforts with contemporary global realities and firmly anchors them with the renewed hope agenda.
“This places women, children, families and our vulnerable groups at the centre of national stability, inclusive governance and sustainable peace,” she said.
Ibrahim-Sulaiman saluted the wife of the President, whose leadership underscored national ownership and collective commitment to NAP III framework.
She also commended the President, whose Renewed Hope Agenda has decisively repositioned social inclusion, human security and gender responsive governance as a national priority.
She announced the inauguration of a National Technical Working Committee on Women, Peace and Security, chaired by the Ministry, to drive implementation, coordination, monitoring and accountability of NAP III nationwide.
She added that the plan would be localised across all 36 states and the FCT through the Social Impact Intervention 774 initiative to ensure grassroots ownership.
She acknowledged the contributions of all stakeholders, especially the National Assembly, UN Women, the Governments of Norway and Germany, and Tetra Tech SPRiNG Programme, whose technical support was instrumental to the development of the plan.
“May it plant justice where exclusion once stood, and light a steady path where peace is built, not by force alone, but by inclusion, by wisdom, and shared collective purpose.
“Together, let us carry forward a Nigeria where women and men work side by side, guarding peace, shaping security, and writing a future worthy of our nation’s promise. Indeed, the work we do today will ensure that we hand on to our children a banner with our state.”
Explaining the NAP III on the implementation of the UNSCR 1325, Mr Peter Mancha, Programme Manager, WPS, UN Women, said the NAP III had five pillars, which included: Prevention and disaster preparedness, participation and representation.
According to Mancha, the third pillar is protection and prosecution, the fourth is crisis management, early recovery and post-conflict reconstruction, and the fifth is partnership coordination and management.
He said the third NAP came into existence because there were challenges in the first and second ones, listing the challenges to include: limited awareness, weak political will, limited budgetary provisions, and weak coordination, among others.
Mancha explained that, based on the challenges, the Government of Nigeria, through the Federal Ministry ofWomen’s Affairs adopted a multi-sectoral approach to develop a core national action plan to address all the challenges.
He said the good thing with the development of the NAP III was that it aligned with the President’s Renewed Hope Agenda.
“It used a participatory approach involving all six geopolitical zones; it is people-driven, it engaged legislators, which was not so in the first and second NAPs.”
He said the unique thing about NAP III was its endorsement by the President, the National Assembly, the Head of security institutions, the Chief of Defence Staff, the Inspector-General of Police, among others.
“This shows us that this time around, we will see a shift in terms of ownership and strong commitment to ensure that the second objective of the third national action plan is not just fully achieved but is owned by the government and people of Nigeria.”
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