WOMEN IN PEACEBUILDING
- Supporting Nigeria’s National Action Plans (NAPs)
- Empowering Gender Focal Persons
- Localization of UNSCR 1325
- Media and Advocacy for WPS
- Youth Empowerment
- Partnerships and Global Impact
- Mediation, Interest-Based Negotiation, and Early Warning Trainings
Contributions of Nigeria’s National Action Plans (NAPs)
WANEP-Nigeria has been instrumental in implementing and localizing Nigeria’s National Action Plans (NAPs) on UNSCR 1325, which provide a framework for promoting women’s leadership in peace and security. We supported the development and launch of National Guidelines for Localizing the NAP, ensuring alignment with grassroots needs. By facilitating localization workshops in states like Bauchi, Gombe, Borno, and Delta, we engaged traditional leaders, women’s groups, civil society, and security agencies to develop and validate Local Action Plans (LAPs). These LAPs have strengthened local governance by integrating women into decision-making processes and allocating resources for gender-responsive peacebuilding. Our active role in the NAP Technical Working Committee, alongside the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs, has further driven policy advocacy and accountability at the national level.
Empowering Gender Focal Persons
To strengthen local peace infrastructures WIPNET has trained over 150 gender focal persons across Kaduna, Plateau, Benue, Nasarawa, and Katsina, equipping them with skills in mediation, interest-based negotiation, and early warning systems. These focal persons serve as community anchors, leading peacebuilding efforts, resolving conflicts, and promoting gender equality. Their efforts has fostered inclusive dialogues and strengthened community resilience, particularly in regions prone to conflict. Across Nigeria, WIPNET’s network of focal persons has expanded, amplifying women’s voices and ensuring their active participation in peace processes.
Mediation, Interest-Based Negotiation, and Early Warning Trainings
WANEP-Nigeria has prioritized capacity-building in mediation, interest-based negotiation, and early warning systems to empower women as agents of peace. Through targeted trainings, over 100 women in Delta, Edo, and Rivers States, alongside gender focal persons nationwide, have developed skills to mediate community disputes and negotiate solutions that address underlying interests. Our early warning training programs have equipped women to identify and respond to conflict triggers, enhancing community preparedness and preventing violence. These efforts have revitalized women’s traditional leadership roles, ensuring their inclusion in modern governance structures.
Localization of UNSCR 1325
Our commitment to localizing UNSCR 1325 has driven impactful community-level interventions. Localization workshops in Balanga (Gombe), Katagum (Bauchi), and Maiduguri (Borno) have built the capacity of women and local policymakers to implement LAPs aligned with the NAP. These workshops established Localization Steering Committees, securing commitments from stakeholders to prioritize women’s leadership in peace and security. The 2019 launch of the United Women Peacebuilders Network in Ossissa, Delta State, supported by the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD), and the 2020 International Women’s Day peace rally exemplify our grassroots approach.
Media and Advocacy for WPS
Using the power of storytelling and media, WANEP-Nigeria has expanded public understanding of the WPS agenda through our GNWP partnership, we established the Media4Peace network, training over 70 journalists to highlight women’s contributions to peace. The Media and WPS Prize Competition and National Media Workshop on UNSCR 1325 amplified women’s stories. WIPNET’s “Women Voices for Peace” radio program, aired in local languages across seven states (Bauchi, Borno, Delta, Edo, Gombe, Lagos, and Rivers), has broadened the reach of WPS advocacy. High-level roundtables in the Niger Delta further engaged women leaders in dialogues on sustainable development amid rising militancy.
Youth Empowerment
Our initiatives have empowered youth as key peacebuilding stakeholders. During the 2020 #EndSARS protests, we supported youth-led activism, advocating for systemic reforms. Training programs in leadership and creative advocacy have fostered a new generation of peacebuilders committed to inclusive change.
Partnerships and Global Impact
WANEP-Nigeria’s work is strengthened by strategic collaborations with ECOWAS, the African Union, USIP, UAFA, Glpbal Affairs Canada, USAID, Oxfam, and NORAD have elevated WIPNET’s influence. Our partnership with GNWP has deepened localization efforts, positioning WANEP-Nigeria as a leader in gender-responsive peacebuilding. These efforts underscore our commitment to building inclusive, resilient communities where women and youth drive transformative change.
WANEP-Nigeria remains dedicated to sustaining these initiatives, ensuring women’s leadership and youth participation shape Nigeria’s peace and security landscape.
