WEP organizes Peace Conference in Katsina State in Commemoration of the International Peace Day 2022
In continuation of her activities to mark the International Peace Day, Women Environmental Programme (WEP) organized a peace conference in commemoration of the 2022 International Peace Day with the theme: End Racism, Build Peace. The event took place on 22nd September, 2022 at the Executive Munaj Event Centre, Katsina State. The event is part of the activities under the project titled Strengthening Advocacy Against Violent Extremism (SAVE) in Katsina State. The project which is funded by the Global Community Engagement and Resilience Fund (GCERF) is being implemented under a consortium arrangement with Murna Foundation, a Katsina based Non-Governmental Organization. The goal of the project is to strengthen community resilience against violent extremism Dutsin-Ma, Funtua, Jibia, and Musawa Local Government areas of the State.
Prior to the peace conference, WEP had organized peace rallies on the 21st September, 2022 to sensitize the youth across the four Local Governments Areas of project interventions. During the peace rally, about 450 youths were sensitized on their role in building social cohesion, promoting peace, interfaith and inter-ethnic tolerance, gender equality, and related discrimination.
Similarly, the peace conference was celebrated to promote synergy and collaboration among diverse stakeholders on their role and efforts in promoting peace, building social cohesion, and preventing violent extremism. The event was organized to acknowledge the various contribution of stakeholders and actors in fostering peace and to share experiences and ideas that will promote peace building in the state. The event featured the presentation of the keynote address by government representatives, religious leaders, international development partners, and panel discussions on state-level efforts for peace and social cohesion and the role of women, and youths in peace and preventing violent extremism.
In his key message and panel discussion, the representative of the state security advisor appreciated the funders-GCERF, WEP, and partners for the timely intervention that is strengthening the community’s resilience against violent extremism. He further reiterated that the state government is making several efforts to tackle security challenges in the state, this includes the establishment of the three-tier security structure, the creation of a joint security communication center, and the organization of monthly Northwest joint security meetings to build synergy in tackling bandits along border frontlines.
Likewise, the representative of FOMWAN acknowledged that the association is grateful to WEP and its partners for inviting her for the first time to attend the International Day of Peace since its commemoration in the state, as women groups are often ignored. She stated that, as the backbone of the family in building peace, FOWMAN trained women across the 34 LGAs on mediation, and interfaith dialogue, and create awareness among women on tolerance and social cohesion.
In confirmation of the earlier view of excluding women in peace-building processes, the representative of the ministry of Justice reaffirmed that, due to pre-existing gender stereotypes and discrimination, women in the state are been sidelined and denied the opportunity of self-reliance to actively participate in promoting peace and preventing violent extremism. She called on development partners to support the empowerment of women and the domestication of Violence Against Persons Prohibition (VAPP) in the state to protect women against sexual abuse and rape.
In her concluding remarks, the project manager of SAVE in Katsina state, Ms. Tracy Nguavese Ogbonna, pleaded for support from government agencies and actors to open more doors to support and collaborate with the implementing organizations as some components of the project such as livelihood and vocational acquisition for youths, climate-smart agriculture, and advocacy for the localization of the National Policy on P/CVE into the states, advocacy for the passage of laws/policies in the local assembly that addresses drivers of VE will be implemented in the remaining quarter of 2022 and 2023.
The event had in attendance Government representatives, security agencies, religious leaders, Civil Society Organizations, women groups, International Organizations working on peace in the state, and youth groups who all expressed joy for being part of the event.
