Agency
The UN Women, the Office of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Sustainable Development Goals, and other stakeholders, have strategised on securing financial resources to close gender gaps in Nigeria.
UN Women’s Country Representative to Nigeria, Ms Beatrice Eyong, made this known at a dialogue on closing the gender gap and finding solutions for SDG 5 in Nigeria on Tuesday in Abuja.
Eyong stressed the need for financing gender equality and women’s empowerment to end violence.
She said that the UN Women believed that progress toward gender equality required open dialogues and collaborative efforts.
“The dialogue aims to bring together stakeholders from various sectors to discuss strategies, share best practices, and formulate actionable solutions.
” Your valuable input will greatly contribute to the richness of the discussions and the formulation of actionable solutions,” she said.
Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire, SSAP-SDGs, called for reinforced collaborative commitment and approach towards achieving SDG-5 in particular and the 2030 Agenda for SDGs in general.
“As we approach the 2030 deadline, the need for robust monitoring and evaluation cannot be overemphasised.
” Periodic progress reports and voluntary national reviews will be needed to track progress or lack of it.
“As part of the transformative actions needed to deliver on the SDGs, current and future development partner support should refocus on strengthening the integrated approach to the implementation of the SDGs.
“This includes capacity strengthening and support towards the effective implementation of key initiatives to address the challenges associated with financing sustainable development,” she said.
Also, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Tajudeen Abbas, stressed the need for women’s empowerment to promote participation in all sectors, particularly in politics and governance.
Abbas was represented by Raji Tasir-Olawale, Chairman of the House Committee on SDGs.
He said that, despite notable advances, particularly in the corporate world where women ascended to leadership roles in various organisations and sectors, the legislature remained an area of significant concern.
“The underrepresentation of women in this critical decision-making body is alarming.
“The voices of women must be amplified as they constitute half of the population, yet their representation in the parliamentary body globally stands at 26.9 per cent and under four per cent in Nigeria.
“This figure is far from the reality we seek. Nevertheless, the 10th House of Representatives is fully committed to the empowerment of women.
“Our legislative agenda is gender sensitive stands as a testament to this commitment with a strong focus on gender inclusion.
“One key provision in our agenda is the promotion of subsidy, specifically for female candidates aimed at reducing financial barriers that hinder women’s participation in politics,” he said.
On his part, Mohammed Malick-Fall, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator to Nigeria, said that gender-responsive budgeting was critical to achieving SDGs 5.
He said the SDG-5 would address gender disparity and maximise all the benefits for women and girls.
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