By Prisca Nguzo
A 35-person committee charged with the responsibility of formulating policy that would safeguard and promote women's rights and inclusion in decision-making on peace and security in Imo State has been inaugurated.
Inaugurating the Committee in Owerri, on Monday, the State Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Welfare, Mrs. Nkechi Ugwu said the inauguration followed the mandate to develop roadmap for domesticating the National Action Plan, NAP on Women, Peace and Security, WPS of the United Nations Security Council Resolution, UNSCR 1325 in the state.
Speaking on the need for the domestication of UNSCR 1325 action plan in the state, Ugwu said, "as a state, we have a responsibility to act. We cannot build sustainable peace without the full inclusion of women. Peace without women is partial peace. And development without gender equity is an illusion.
"Every state that adopts a SAP, takes a bold step towards justice, inclusion, and sustainable peace. The time is now to ensure no region is left behind, and no voice is unheard. True paece is inclusive and only then does it become unbreakable."
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She urged the committee members to take the task with utmost serious, saying, "Let our strategies reflect boldness and empathy; let our implementation be inclusive and community-led, and let our impact be measurable in the lives of the most vulnerable, especially women and girls in conflict-prone, rural and undeserved areas."
"Let us build a state where the dignity, security and rights of every woman and girls are upheld, where their voices shape our policies, and where peace is truly inclusive and enduring." the Commissioner added.
Also, Ms. Blessing Duru, Programme Director, Alliances for Africa, AfA, the facilitator of the project in the state, urged the state government to not only embrace the project but give it the needed boost to ensure its speedy domestication and implementation.
According to her, "if Imo government pride itself as one with unwavering commitment to peace and security of lives and properties in the state, protection and promotion of women's rights and inclusion in every decision making processes of the state is non-negotiable and sacrosanct."
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She noted that for any state to achieve viable and even development, critical stakeholders and sectors of the state including women must be engaged fully and seen to have participate actively.
Ms. Duru stated that when NAP of UNSCR 1325 is domesticated and implemented in the state, SAP, it would provide a guide for state and non-state actors on gender mainstreaming and gender-sensitive approaches to peacebuilding and security processes.
"The goal of SAP is to enhance the participation, protection and rights of women and girls in peacebuilding and security governance across the communities in Imo State." she stated.
The committee comprised representatives from traditional and religious institutions, media, civil society organizations, security agencies as well as from state ministries and parastatals, including Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Welfare, National Orientation Agency, NOA, Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Budget, among others.
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