The Defence Headquarters said the asymmetric nature of current security challenges in the country has made the military and other security agencies adopt a more realistic gender mainstreaming strategy to defend and protect women and children during conflicts.
It also said that the Armed Forces of Nigeria has attained 27.9 per cent female participation in peace support operations as against the 17 per cent benchmark recommended by the United Nations (UN).
The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Christopher Musa, said this at a one-day Gender Mainstreaming Conference organized by the Defence Headquarters Abuja yesterday.
He said the Nigerian military had received encomium from the UN and the Africa Union (AU) for adopting commendable gender mainstreaming policies in all its military operations within and outside Nigeria.
The CDS said: “The available record reveals that the Armed Forces of Nigeria have been able to attain 27.9 per cent female participation in peacekeeping operations.
“These deliberate efforts by the military are in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, mandating countries to develop their own action plans to identify, evaluate and control efforts to achieve the objectives of Women, Peace and Security.
“The UN Security Council Resolution 1325 was mooted to ensure women and societal security needs are safeguarded through increased emphasis on prevention, protection and participation of women in military operations.”
Gen. Musa said the conference, themed as “Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to meet Security Challenges” was tailored at fashioning out the right ambience for the Nigerian military in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating operational and administrative doctrines that would promote and enhance their capacity to combat the myriads of security challenges.
He urged all participants and stakeholders to be open minded to engage in constructive discussions that would further improve the existing gender policies and gender mainstreaming in the military.
The UN Deputy Secretary-General, Amina Mohammed, commended the Federal Government’s efforts in promoting gender mainstreaming in the nation’s armed forces.
Mohammed said the conference was apt in building on the Gender Policies for the Armed Forces of Nigeria that was launched in 2021, adding that Nigeria, like many other nations, faces many security challenges, both the national and regional levels.
The UN scribe said the UN would continue to support the federal government in its efforts to deepen gender inclusiveness and bridge the gender gaps in the armed forces.
She said that the challenges had far reaching consequences, particularly for the most vulnerable members of society, such as women and children.
According to her, the Nigerian armed forces had continued to play pivotal roles in both preventing and responding to those security challenges while upholding human rights and safeguarding the nation’s security.
Mohammed said: “Gender mainstreaming is crucial to the peace process during and after conflict because it sits at the heart of our Sustainable Development Goals.
“Study after study has demonstrated that when we strengthen women’s resilience and leadership, everyone benefits, including men and boys.
“Women are more likely to foster inclusive modes of governance and coexistence, more likely to build peace and silence against, and more likely to invest in sustainable development and a cornerstone of peaceful, prosperous communities and societies.
“Women’s active participation and leadership at all levels is essential to building an inclusive, responsive, and accountable armed forces that reflects the diversity of the community service and better response to their needs.”
The British Deputy High Commissioner to Nigeria, Gill Atkinson, said the role of women in policy making in the defence, insecurity and operational frontline had grown and become steadily more important.
Atkinson said the UK and Nigeria had adopted and domesticated UNSCR 1325, which had made the role of women in peace and security fundamental to the future of the nations’ defence and security.
