United Nations says there is the need to secure commitments from governments and relevant stakeholders to safeguard the progress of the Spotlight Initiative.
The UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator, Mathias Schmale, stated this at the national close-out/ handover ceremony of the EU-UN Spotlight Initiative project organised by the United Nations to end violence against women and girls in Nigeria.
He said the initiative focused on Gender Based Violence (GBV) in relation to collective efforts to achieve the 2030 Agenda in the SDGs.
“Since the beginning of the Spotlight Initiative in Nigeria in 2019 , we have made tangible difference in the lives of many in Nigeria. It has enabled more than 60,500 women and girls receive worthy services. It made allies of traditional leaders, enhanced data collection and galvanization in changing mindsets and changing lives,” Schmale stated.
Schmale said that “the sustainability of actions lies in the hands of the Nigerian people, the Government, and the partners.”
“The momentum must be built on,the progress must be safeguarded, the spotlight must stay on gender-based violence. The United Nations system in Nigeria will continue its close cooperation with the Federal Government,” Schmale affirmed.
Also speaking, Ambassador Samuela Isopi, EU Ambassador to Nigeria and ECOWAS, noted that the initiative is the world’s largest effort and investment to fight against GBV.
“EU launched it in 2018 together with the UN ,it is funded with the global investment of €500 million Euros, because we are convinced that this is what is necessary to make transformative change. Out of this €500 million Euros 25 has been allocated to support fight against GBV in Nigeria; in Nigeria the programme has tasted new holistic approach that brought all actors together,” Ambassador Isopi said.
He added that “This has allowed us achieve resounding results, a record number of 35 States of the Federation have passed the VAPP Act into Law making it fastest Bill passed in Nigeria.”
On his part, Nigeria’s Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF) and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, has reaffirmed Nigeria’s Government plan to establish Standard of Operations (SoP) procedure for speedy prosecution of Gender-based Violence (GBV) cases in schools.
According to Fagbemi, “ The Ministry has been a beneficiary of numerous programmes under the EU/UN spotlight initiatives, in partnership with the UN Women, UNESCO, UNICEF, UNDP.”
In a related development, the Emir of Shonga, Deputy Convenor-General of the Council of Traditional Leaders in Africa (COTLA) Dr. Haliru Ndanusa, described the initiative as the most substantial commitment by EU/UN in tackling Sexual-GBV (SGBV).
“SGBV remains the most widespread human rights violations impacting our society socio-economic development and conflicting the values of human dignity and sanctity in our communities. In recognizing the socio-cultural harms of SGBV, we as custodians of culture and traditions have ethically worked to transform practices related to violence.
We express immense satisfaction at Spotlight Initiative fostering a movement of ethical group in tackling SGBV, we will actively sustain the achievements of the initiative,” Ndanusa said.
The Spotlight Initiative was established in Nigeria to tackle widespread of GBV and other harmful traditional practices in the country.
