National News
37.8 million people in need of protection in Sahel – UN Women
37.8 million people in need of protection in Sahel – UN Women
By: Michael Mike
More than 37.8 million people in the Sahel would need assistance and protection due to security challenges, political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors, the United Nations (UN) Women has said.
Possible solutions are expected to be discussed at ongoing meeting in Niamey, Niger where stakeholders would reflect on the theme: “Adapting the women, peace and security agenda to the changing context of the Sahel: rethinking and readjusting approaches”, and launch the project: “Leadership of women’s organizations for peace and security in the Sahel”. The meeting is under the aegis of the Ministry of Women’s Promotion and Child Protection and with funding from the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the Governments of the G5 Sahel countries, UN Women and its partners, civil society organisations, development partners and regional and international experts.
According to a statement by UN Women, the Sahel region faces numerous security challenges, compounded by political, socioeconomic, and environmental factors. Extremist and terrorist armed groups as well as inter-communal conflicts have negative impacts on communities, forcing millions of people to move. By 2023 more than 37.8 million Sahelians will need assistance and protection.
The statement lamented that women and girls are often the first to be affected by these crises, increasing their vulnerability and marginalization in society. Yet, they are key players in the prevention and resolution of conflicts, as well as in the promotion of sustainable peace and development.
The statement added that: “It is within this framework that UN Women and its partners decided to organize this high-level regional meeting funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands to discuss the issues and challenges facing women and girls in the Sahel region, but also to explore solutions for their effective participation in promoting peace and development.”
The statement further read that: “Niger is a land of welcome and opportunity and the laboratory of the Nexus. We are honored and happy to receive the delegations of the sister countries of the G5 Sahel and other countries for this colloquium coupled with the launch of the regional program on capacity building of civil society organizations in the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda financed by the Netherlands which we welcome”. It added that it is in these terms that Mrs. Allahoury Aminata Zourkaleini, Niger’s Minister of Women Promotion and Child Protection, denotes the satisfaction of the choice of Niger for the organisation of the three days meeting in Niamey.
She said the meeting will see the participation of government representatives, civil society organisations, development partners and regional and international experts. They will discuss themes such as strengthening the role of women in peace and security processes, the inclusion of women in the prevention of violent extremism and the reduction of inter-communal conflicts, as well as their participation in peace building and post-conflict reconstruction.
She noted that the meeting in Niamey is a unique opportunity for partners to discuss concrete solutions to strengthen the role of women in building peace and security in the Sahel region.
“We are convinced that the active contribution of women and girls is essential to achieving sustainable peace and ensuring a more stable and prosperous future for the Sahel region,” said Ms. Florence Raes, Regional Director a.i. of UN Women West and Central Africa.
The Ministry of Women’s Promotion and Child Protection, UN Women, the G5 Sahel and their partners call on all key actors to work together to create an enabling environment for the full participation of women and girls in the promotion of peace, security and development in the Sahel region and specially to accelerate the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security Agenda.
“Women and girls in Niger are disproportionately affected by crises and conflicts and the issue deserves special attention from the private sector, cooperation and partnership, States and civil society. It is also unanimous to recognize the potential that these women and girls have in the peace, security and development process in the Sahel region,” said Ms. Louise Aubin, Resident Coordinator of the United Nations system in Niger.
The meeting will also mark the launch of the project “Leadership of Women’s Organizations for Peace and Security in the Sahel” funded by the Kingdom of the Netherlands to strengthen the role of women in peacebuilding and security in the Sahel region, in Burkina Faso, Mali, Mauritania, Niger and Chad. The project will run for a period of 4 (four) years and aims to strengthen the capacity of women’s peace organizations. Women have great potential to contribute significantly to the stabilization of the region, but face several organisational, institutional and programmatic challenges.
Women’s civil response to the crisis is crucial to achieving sustainable peace in the region and will complement and strengthen the actions of other actors working for peace in the region.
The project is structured around three strategic areas: capacity building, movement building, coalition building and advocacy. Women’s organisations will be strengthened at the organisational, institutional and operational levels, as well as in program management and resource mobilization. They will also be connected and work in synergy within strong networks, movements and/or coalitions.
Joint advocacy plans will be created for national and regional peace actions. “The project will reach a total of 103 women’s organizations, with increased financial support for a core group of 18 organizations, including three regional and three national organizations in each of the five G5 Sahel countries. They will be selected in a transparent manner based on clear indicators related to their potential for high impact,” says Ms. Marie-Josee Kandanga Peace, Security and Humanitarian Action Advisor at UN Women.
The new approaches and recommendations resulting from the colloquium to be held in Niamey from May 3 to 5, 2023 will serve as a planning basis for the various actors supporting the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda in the region.
37.8 million people in need of protection in Sahel – UN Women
JAJI LAUDS SANWO-OLU, GBAJABIAMILA
· CALLS EX-SPEAKER BRIDGE BUILDER, REDEEMER OF THE MASSES
By: Our Reporter
Lagos politician, Oladipo Jaji, on Saturday described the Chief of Staff to the President, Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as the champion of the people’s cause and bridge between all divides.
‘’Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila is kind, upright, conscientious and deeply religious’’
He also described the Governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu as a resourceful and persistent organizer.
Jaji in a statement in Surulere commended the former Speaker of the House of Representatives for his brilliant dramatization of politics as the medium of empowerment, development, education and leadership.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain applauded Sanwo Olu for handling development issues in Lagos State with general skill and efficiency.
The gender conscious governor was also praised for sustaining peace, developing a new moral climate and executing several projects across the state.
Jaji praised Gbajabiamila for carrying the load of the president’s office with calm, deepening grassroots democracy, giving a greater sense of security to the people, empowering the youths and enriching their knowledge to enable them garner necessary experiences for higher challenges.
‘’Rt. Hon Femi Gbajabiamila unlocked new energies in the good people of Surulere. He also rekindled hope in other parts of Lagos State’’.
The dashing leader was applauded for standing up for the people, encouraging the women and stimulating the imagination of politicians in Lagos to new visions of things to be done.
Particularly, Jaji hailed Gbajabiamila for his deep sincerity, intellectual ability and dedication to public service.
The statement highlighted qualities of poise and endurance, integrity and honesty of purpose, loyalty and ardor.
It also emphasized Gbajabiamila’s largeness of vision and inexhaustible energy.
‘’I wish His Excellency, Governor Babatunde Sanwo-Olu and Rt Hon Femi Gbajabiamila robust health, much joy and unlimited strength’’ the statement added.
JAJI LAUDS SANWO-OLU, GBAJABIAMILA
National News
At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change
At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change
** Says Nigeria, Ethiopia have the largest stake in Africa’s future by keeping continent green
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has called on nations of the world to be decisive about combating climate change, saying it is a danger that must be arrested with practical actions.
According to him, while the global threat is not one that can be resolved in a conference room, it requires each country to respond to the peculiarities of the ecological burdens confronting them.
The Nigerian Vice President, who stated this on Friday during the official launch of Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative (GLI), in Addis Ababa, the Ethiopian capital, said he was delighted to share in the joy of Ethiopia’s resolve to confront the threat posed by climate change “with clarity, courage, and conviction.”
The Ethiopian Green Legacy Programme, which is designed to combat deforestation, enhance biodiversity, and mitigate the adverse effects of climate change, targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period.
Senator Shettima, who is in the East African country for an official State visit at the invitation of the Prime Minister of the Federal Democratic Republic of Ethiopia, Dr. Abiy Ahmed Ali, implored nations to enhance their climate plans by doubling their adaptation and mitigation efforts.
He said, “We have long accepted that climate change is not a problem to be solved in a conference room; it is a danger we must arrest with practical actions, with each nation rising to the occasion by responding to the peculiarities of the ecological burdens they face.
“Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Initiative is one such response. It is an inspiring blueprint to reimagine the future. The promise of GLI is the dream of every nation. It is a lesson in vision, in purpose, and in audacity. For those of us who have followed this programme, the numbers are staggering, but the impact is even more compelling.
“To plant 20 billion seedlings within four years, to establish over 20,000 nurseries, and to create hundreds of thousands of green jobs is to show that the future is something we must plant, nurture, and build.”
VP Shettima noted that he was not in Ethiopia to only share in the country’s joy and exchange ideas but to also convey what he described as the deep and abiding solidarity of his boss, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and the people of Nigeria.
Applauding those who made the Green Legacy Initiative a reality, he assured Ethiopia of Nigeria’s unflinching support, adding that both countries have the largest stake in Africa’s future.
“Ethiopia and Nigeria are the two most populous countries in Africa. This distinction is not just statistical; it is existential. It means we have the largest stake in Africa’s future. It means that more of our people are exposed to the peril of climate change, and it also means that we face the highest cost of inaction.
“This is why we are not mere spectators in this fight. We are partners. We are participants. And we are prepared to play our part to keep Africa green,” the Vice President pledged, just as he said it is the promise Nigeria and other nations have been making at the Conferences of the Parties (COP) every year.
“It is the pledge we renewed at the last COP in Azerbaijan. And today, we gather not only to stand by this promise but to celebrate the path Ethiopia has illuminated for the world,” he added.
Senator Shettima thanked the government and people of Ethiopia for the warmth and generosity extended to him and other members of the Nigerian delegation.
He said they felt at home, “not just because of the hospitality shown to them, but because the launch of the Green Legacy Programme resonates with the aspirations “to leave behind a planet fit for the dreams of generations to come.
In his address at the event, Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed called on African countries to make the Green Legacy a culture, adding that Ethiopia was proud of Nigeria and its bold move to embrace the green initiative.
The Prime Minister called for partnership across African countries, stating that it was time to place less emphasis on foreign aid and begin to focus more on indigenous and home-grown domestic ideas and visions.
“This year’s Green Legacy is to rise by planting, and it is in consonance with our plan to shock the world with our Green Legacy vision. We never received any aid when we set out to achieve our 20 billion tree planting initiative.
“We thank Nigeria for supporting and accepting this initiative. With its population and growing economy, we are sure that the government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as exemplified by the esteemed presence of Vice President Kashim Shettima, will go a long way in raising the awareness and collaborative effort needed amongst African countries,” the Prime Minister said.
He further expressed optimism that with Ethiopia’s hosting of the forthcoming United Nations summit on Climate Change, the stage is set for all hands to be on deck to achieve one of Ethiopia’s biggest green revolution plans.
Earlier in the day, Vice President Shettima was guided through Ethiopia’s Unity Park, Science Museum, and the Adwa Victory Memorial Museum, which showcase Ethiopia’s historic and transformative trajectory.
At Launch Of Ethiopia’s GLI, VP Shettima Urges Practical Action Against Climate Change
VP Shettima Arrives For Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme Launch
By: Our Reporter
Vice President Kashim Shettima has arrived at the venue for the official launch of Ethiopia’s flagship Green Legacy Programme in Addis Ababa.
The project is part of Nigeria’s commitment to regional and continental collaboration on climate action and aligns with the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, which prioritizes environmental sustainability, food security, and green economic growth.
VP Shettima is in the company of the Ethiopian Prime Minister, Abiy Ahmed.
The Vice President, who is on an official state visit to Ethiopia, will participate in the launch ceremony of the environmental initiative aimed at combating deforestation and mitigating climate change effects.
The Green Legacy Programme targets the planting of 20 billion tree seedlings over a four-year period to enhance biodiversity and address environmental challenges across Ethiopia.
This initiative aligns with Nigeria’s existing endeavours in afforestation and reforestation, such as the Great Green Wall project, which focuses on restoring damaged environments, combating desertification, and fostering climate resilience throughout the Sahel region.
VP Shettima Arrives For Ethiopia’s Green Legacy Programme Launch
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