IWD 2021: Women Affairs Minister Lauds AFRIHEALTH Over Fight Against GBV

 IWD 2021: Women Affairs Minister Lauds AFRIHEALTH Over Fight Against GBV <https://www.gistmania.com/talk/topic,490476.0.html>

The Honourable Minister,  Federal Ministry Of Women Affairs, Dame Pauline Tallen, OFR, KSG,  at International Conference Commemorating the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) organised by Afrihealth Optonet Association held on the 4th March 2021 applauded the CSO for its resilient efforts in curbing the GBV menace in Africa and beyond, pointing that Afrihealth is one of its partners that has shown great commitment in its pursuit for a free GBV Africa.

The minister who was ably represented by Mrs. Oladipo Funke, Ag. Director Women Development Department of the FMWA, in her Keynote address, said, "I am delighted to deliver an address at this event on International Conference titled “Harnessing And Promoting Women’s Leadership To Overcome The COVID-19 Pandemic And Achieve The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) By 2030” in commemoration of the year 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD).

"As you are aware 8th March each year is celebrated worldwide as the International Women’s Day. It is a global day set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women in all works of life. The day also marks a call to action for the promotion of gender parity. The theme for the 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) commemoration is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World”.

"The purpose of celebrating this day is to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and to recognize that the participation, development, and equality of women are essential for the attainment of social progress and the full enjoyments of human rights. In Nigeria, the day has been used over the year as a platform for harnessing efforts on behalf of women’s development not only at the federal level but also at the state levels. Several activities are usually planned at the Federal level to mark the celebration ultimately aimed at integrating women and girls into the mainstream of national development. It is no longer news that women and girls are disproportionately and differentially affected by the pandemic, whether as frontline health care workers or as victims of increasing levels of gender-based violence amidst the Covid-19 pandemic. 

"I commend Afrihealth Optonet Association for choosing this day 4th March 2021 to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. The 2021 theme was carefully chosen to meet the social, economic, cultural, health, and political challenges faced by women. I equally commend you for putting our women and girls as a priority in your programme, and I want to assure you that every good work has its rewards. 

"At the 2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, women are recognized as a key enabler of each of the development goals. Women are being used as tools for peace, unity, and development, and are being accorded with huge support bearing in mind that they are the most vulnerable group in our society.

"On this note, may I appeal to everyone to desist from any action that will lead to violence against women and girls (VAWG) which has increased in the society due to COVID-19 Pandemic. You can agree with me, that a lot of women and girls suffered several cases of abuse in the face of the Covid-19 Pandemic.  You will recall that we witness an upsurge in GBV cases in the lockdown measures put in place by the Government to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic", she said. 

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje (Nigeria), Global Coordinator, Chief Executive Officer-CS4EGBV Project/ Afrihealth Optonet Association (CSO's Network) who was also the moderator of the event, reacting to the Minister's Commendation, assured her of continuous efforts in making sure that Africa is free from GBV menace, as he applauds her for grazing the event despite her chocked schedules. 

Country Intervention Topics And Speakers were: EGYPT: Investing in Women’s Health: nursing perspective for community development and gender equality – Professor Hayat Gomma, Full Professor, Ahmadu Bello University, Nigeria, CAMEROON: Violation of women`s rights on the on-going Anglophone crisis in Cameroon; by Fobi Miterand, Co-Founder of Nanny Africa, Cameroon – a member of Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network], ZIMBABWE: Mental Health Wellness during COVID-19: Self-care; by Tadiwanashe Burukai-Matutu (Zimbabwe), KENYA: Reproductive and Sexual Justice in Sub-Saharan Africa; by Barmasai Titus, Project Manager- Sunrise Foundation, Kenya. 

Countries represented include Nigeria, Zimbabwe, Cameroon, Egypt, Tunisia, Ghana, Sudan, South Africa, Belgium, Burundi, Uganda, India, Bangladesh, Indonesia, South America, United Kingdom, Kenya, Malaysia, and Switzerland

A SPEECH PRESENTED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, NIGERIA - HER EXCELLENCY, DAME PAULINE TALLEN, OFR, KSG; BY THE ‘CEO’/GLOBAL COORDINATOR OF AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION – DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE; DURING THE FORMAL SUBMISSION OF THE COMMUNIQUE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ‘UNDERSTANDING AND ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) IN OUR SOCIETIES’ WHICH WAS ORGANIZED BY AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION, ON 14 JANUARY 2021; TODAY, 4 MARCH 2021

 

AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION Civil Society Organizations [CSOs] network and think-tank on Health, Community and Dev’t Systems Strengthening

Email: afrihealthnigeria@gmail.com Phone: +2348034725905 Website: www.afrihealthcsos.org

National Hq: Suite 216, Block G, FHA Cornershop, Lugbe, Airport Road, Abuja, Nigeria

Civil Society for Elimination of Gender-Based Violence [CS4EGBV] Project

A SPEECH PRESENTED TO THE HONOURABLE MINISTER OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, NIGERIA - HER EXCELLENCY, DAME PAULINE TALLEN, OFR, KSG; BY THE ‘CEO’/GLOBAL COORDINATOR OF AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION – DR. UZODINMA ADIRIEJE; DURING THE FORMAL SUBMISSION OF THE COMMUNIQUE FROM THE INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON ‘UNDERSTANDING AND ENDING GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE (GBV) IN OUR SOCIETIES’ WHICH WAS ORGANIZED BY AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION, ON 14 JANUARY 2021; TODAY, 4 MARCH 2021

Protocols

 

Thank you for accepting to receive us in audience today to formally submit to you, the communique from the International Symposium on ‘Understanding and Ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in Our Societies’ which was organized by Afrihealth Optonet Association on 14 January 2021.

Afrihealth Optonet Association is a community-focused CSOs network/think-tank of about 1000 organizations in the global South for the promotion of Health as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being; and the SDGs, using partnerships, advocacy, research/evidence-generation, capacity development, outreaches, and monitoring and evaluation (M&E) as strategies; while focusing on rural and poor urban communities, marginalized, vulnerable and disadvantaged populations especially women, children, adolescents and elderly; and exploring the nexus/interlinkages between Health, Energy and Environment – including climate change, biodiversity and ecosystems, Nutrition and Food Security, and Gender, Good Governance and Human Rights. AFRIHEALTH has a Consultative Status at the United Nations ECOSOC

AFRIHEALTH is currently promoting the Civil Society for Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (CS4EGBV) Project, 2020-2030. In commemoration of ‘16 Days of Activism’ in 2020, Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network] organized a zoom ‘Town Hall Meeting’, the topic of which was Taming the Monster: Ending Sexual and Gender-Based Violence Against Women and Girls (SGVAWG) During and After the COVID-19 Pandemic. On 14 January 2021, AFRIHEALTH organized an international symposium on ‘Understanding and Ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in our Societies’. On 2 February, AFRIHEALTH organized the International Conference on Cervical Cancer with the theme: Prevention, Treatment and Mitigation of Cervical Cancer in Resource constrained Settings during the COVID-19 Pandemic era and Beyond. Today 4 March 2021, AFRIHEALTH organized the 2021 International Women’s Day Conference with the theme: Harnessing and Promoting Women’s Leadership to Overcome the COVID-19 Pandemic and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030; a conference at which Your Excellency the Honourable Minister delivered the Keynote address, and for which participants were most grateful.

We hereby humbly submit to your Excellency, the communique from our international conference on ‘Understanding and Ending Gender-Based Violence (GBV) in our Societies’, for your kind attention and submission to the Federal Government, African Union and United Nations.

CIVIL SOCIETY’S ROLES IN THE ELIMINATING ALL FORMS FOR ‘GBV’

We submit for your kind considerations, the following experience and traditionally informed roles for AFRIHEALTH Civil Society Network and partners involved eliminating all forms of GBV; as constituting the roles of the civil society in eliminating all forms of GBV; for your considerations:

1.      To reach out to the wider civil society and communities to mobilize them for eliminating all forms of GBV using community-focused activities, and the critical support the governments needs to enable the country actualize the intentions of eliminating all forms of GBV;

2.      Monitoring the implementation of the efforts and activities for eliminating all forms of GBV;

3.      Advocating the integration of the elimination of all forms of GBV with the National Development Plan(s) in a seamless manner to avoid unnecessary duplications;

4.      Collection and provision of data on all forms of GBV and support to the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, partners/line MDAs and National Bureau of Statistics as may be required;

5.      Advocacy for budget and resource allocation/provision to ensure that efforts at eliminating all forms of GBV are fully realized;

6.      Participate in surveys related to eliminating all forms of GBV;

7.      Provide shadow reports for the Voluntary National reviews as may be needed from time to time;

8.      Bring the elimination of all forms of GBV SDGs into the political space to ensure that political entities and intending office holders key into the SDGs-5, 16, 17 and other related SDGs as a matter if utmost priorities; and

9.      Provide effective partnership with other sectors (government, businesses/private for-profit sector, media) and the leadership for the civil society to reach out to the wider communities to achieve the goal of eliminating all forms of GBV.

We request that these roles of the civil society are explicitly provided in Nigeria’s policies and plans for eliminating all forms of GBV.

Afrihealth Optonet Association appreciates the Federal Government’s increasing involvement of the civil society in the effort to end GBV and achieve the SDG-5 in the country. We are particularly grateful to the leadership of the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for this increased engagement with civil society. 

Thank you, Excellency, for your kind attention.

Dr. Uzodinma Adirieje

Programmes Director/CEO 

Civil Society for Elimination of Gender-Based Violence (CS4EGBV) Project

Afrihealth Optonet Association [CSOs Network]

 

A KEYNOTE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY THE HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIRS, NIGERIA, DAME PAULINE TALLEN, OFR, KSG, AT INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE COMMEMORATING THE 2021 INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY (IWD) ORGANISED BY AFRIHEALTH OPTONET ASSOCIATION HELD ON THE 4THMARCH, 2021

PROTOCOL.

I am delighted to deliver an address at this event on International Conference titled “Harnessing and Promoting Women’s Leadership to overcome the Covid-19 Pandemic and Achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030” in commemoration of year 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD).

2.      As you are aware 8^th March each year is celebrated worldwide as the International Women’s Day. It is a global day set aside to celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women in all works of life. The day also marks a call to action for the promotion of gender parity. The theme for 2021 International Women’s Day (IWD) commemoration is “Women in Leadership: Achieving an Equal Future in a Covid-19 World”.

3.      The purpose of celebrating this day is to acknowledge the contribution of women to the strengthening of international peace and to recognize that the participation, development and equality of women is essential for the attainment of social progress and the full enjoyments of human rights. In Nigeria, the day has been used over the year as a platform for harnessing efforts on behalf of women’s development not only at the federal level but also at the state levels. Several activities are usually planned at the Federal level to mark the celebration ultimately aimed at integrating women and girls into the mainstream of national development. It is no longer news that women and girls are disproportionately and differentially affected by the pandemic, whether as frontline health care workers or as victims of increasing levels of gender-based violence amidst Covid-19 pandemic.

4.      I commend Afrihealth Optonet Association for choosing this day 4^thMarch, 2021 to commemorate this year’s International Women’s Day. The 2021 theme was carefully chosen to meet the social, economic, cultural, health, and political challenges faced by women. I equally commend you for putting our women and girls as priority in your programme, and I want to assure you that every good work has its own rewards.

5.      At the2030 agenda for Sustainable Development Goals, women are recognized as a key enabler of each of the development goals. Women are being used as tool for peace, unity and development, and are being accorded with huge support bearing in mind that they are the most vulnerable group in our society.

6.      On this note, may I appeal to everyone to desist from any action that will lead to violence against women and girls (VAWG) which has increased in the society due to Covid-19 Pandemic. You can agree with me, that a lot of women and girls suffered several cases of abuse in the face of the Covid-19 Pandemic.  You will recall that we witness an upsurge in GBV cases in the lockdown measures put in place by the Government to flatten the curve of the COVID-19 pandemic.

7.      Before I conclude permit me to inform this gathering that the Ministry has made progress towards controlling SGBV and others in the following areas:

          I         The launched of the National GBV Data collation Tool, the first of its kind, to ease the dearth of GBV data in the country, with directives that every partner and stakeholders should use the tool to collate and submit GBV data to the Ministry for effective coordination and planning.

          II        The Ministry has presented a memo to Federal Executive Council (FEC) on Wednesday, 10^th June 2020 on the unaccepted trends and patterns and surge in Rape and other forms of Gender Based violence in the country. The outcome of this Memo led to the following:

          a.  Directives by Mr. President to the Attorney-General/Minister to immediately inaugurate an Inter-Ministerial Gender Based Violence Management Committee to proffer a synchronized approach to address all forms of violence against women and children in the country. This you are aware has been inaugurated on 23^rd July 2020.

          b.   Directives to Inspector General of police to deal with al perpetrators in furtherance of the declaration of zero tolerance to rape and other Gender-Based Violence, as well as constant engagement with the Police on the need to promptly address issues of Gender-Based Violence.  

8.      In order to ensure that current gender issues are addressed under this present administration, the Government of Nigeria is set to provide every support and resources needed in the dissemination and implementation of just concluded Revised National Gender Policy as well as support the passage of Gender and Equal Opportunity Bill as a means to further enhance women’s equal access to economic activities and resources. It is our resolve that we will create a nation that is devoid of gender discrimination where everyone can contribute their quota to national development.

9.      As you stated previously in your communiqué that there should be a declaration of ‘war crime,’ any gender-based violence and violence against women and girls orchestrated during wars and inter-communal conflicts, thus making it punishable under current international laws on war crimes. Secondly, your organization affirmed the signing of the ‘Every Woman Treaty’ as a necessary next step in ending VAWG globally.

10.    May I use this avenue to inform you of the need to change some of our culture and traditional practices which could be harmful to our Women and Girls for a better development and for everyone to be the agents of transformation, with which this country can be transformed into a new haven.

11.    The success of women in Nigeria is an inspiration to younger women to look beyond the status-quo and explore other areas of their lives as opposed to limiting their horizon. Therefore, the theme chosen by the organizers of this event and the UN women’s theme for this year’s International Women’s Day (IWD) celebration is the right step taken in the right direction.

13.    On this note, I wish everyone happy celebration and happy women’s day.

14    Thank you all for listening.

HONOURABLE MINISTER, FEDERAL MINISTRY OF WOMEN AFFAIR, ABUJA.