Nigeria has launched its Third National Action Plan (NAP3) on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 on Women, Peace and Security.
It reaffirmed the nation’s commitment to women’s inclusion in peacebuilding, security, and governance.
Speaking at the official launch held in Abuja, the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, commended the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development for spearheading the initiative, describing UNSCR 1325 as a global milestone.
“Twenty-five years ago, through United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, the global community recognised that women must not remain on the sidelines, but must be active participants in shaping peace and security,” she said.
“Nigeria embraced this vision with the launch of our first and second national action plans and 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,” she added.
Represented by the Wife of the Deputy Senate President, Hajiya Laila Barau Jibrin, the First Lady urged stakeholders to ensure effective implementation, calling “on all relevant stakeholders, especially our state governments, to champion the implementation of this Action Plan with urgency and dedication.”
“In these challenging times, Nigerian women continue to demonstrate extraordinary strength, mediating in conflicts, rebuilding communities and caring for their families,” she stated.
Mrs Tinubu said that their resilience reinforces the need to keep the Women, Peace and Security agenda at the forefront of national priorities.
The First Lady urged security agencies to intensify gender-sensitive reforms and appealed to traditional as well as faith leaders to protect women and children.
She encouraged men and boys to partner in ensuring full implementation of the plan for a just and equitable society.
In her address, the Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Hajiya Imaam Ibrahim Suleiman, said the “third-generation action plan gives women ownership in peace building, ownership in securing our families and our communities.”
She noted that the launch coincided with major milestones, saying, “We gather not merely to unveil a policy document, but to reaffirm a national promise shaped by 30 years of the Beijing Platform for Action (1995) and 25 years since the adoption of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (2000).”
According to her, “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 vulnerable groups at the centre of national stability, inclusive governance and sustainable peace.”
She acknowledged the contributions of stakeholders, including the National Assembly, UN Women, the governments of Norway and Germany, and the Tetra Tech SPRiNG Programme, whose technical support was instrumental to the development of the plan.
The minister formally announced the inauguration of the National Technical Working Committee on Women, Peace and Security, which “will serve as the engine room for implementation, coordination, monitoring, reporting, and accountability,” adding that the plan would be localised across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory.
Presenting an overview of NAP3, Mr. Peter Mancha said “the UNSCR 1325 was adopted because conflict actually affects women disproportionately and because women’s potentials to contribute to peace and security… are either underutilised or not utilised at all.”
He said NAP3 is built on five pillars and stressed that “you cannot achieve sustainable peace without bringing women on board.”
He noted that 16 states and 21 local government areas have domesticated the action plan.
The launch reinforced renewed calls for collective ownership to ensure that the Women, Peace and Security agenda translates into lasting peace and inclusion across Nigeria.