WEP TRAINS CSOs IN 10 STATES, CARRY OUT GENDER ASSESSMENT

In the first quarter of this year, Women Environmental Programme (WEP) convened a National Training of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) drawn from different states of Nigeria on Gender and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), under her “Women CSOs Networking to Realize the SDGs, aka Women2030” project, supported by the European Union. The training equipped the CSOs with deeper knowledge of SDGs and gender. This knowledge is to be used by the CSOs to effectively monitor implementation of SDGs in the states, ensuring that gender issues are mainstreamed in programmes, policies and legislations driving the implementation of the SDGs.

To ensure more CSOs have deeper knowledge of SDGs and gender, WEP in the second quarter of this year supported the step-down of this training in 10 states of Nigeria: Lagos, Benue, FCT, Kano, Katsina, Delta, Yobe, Anambra, Plateau and Rivers. The step-down trainings reached over 150 CSOs in the 10 states.

This training was followed by a gender assessment in each of the states to ascertain the different needs of women, men, the aged and other vulnerable groups that may hinder the realization of the SDGs in those states.

The step-down trainings and the gender assessment were facilitated by our National Women2030 partners as follows:

Lagos: Center for 21^st Century Issues and Echoes of Women in Africa – 25^th May, 2017

Benue: Benue NGO Network, Kwande Sisters Foundation and Charles and Doorsurgh Abaagu Foundatio – 29^th and 30^th May, 2017

FCT: Fresh and Young Brains Development Initiative – 9^th June, 2017.

Kano: Ziongate Empowerment Initiative – 25^th May, 2017

Katsina: Murna Foundation – 23^rd-24^th May, 2017

Delta: Niger Delta Women’s Movement for Peace and Development – 30^th – 31^st May, 2017

Yobe: Women’s Rights Initiative – 8^th June, 2017

Anambra: Gender Perspectives and Gender Development Center – 5^th June, 2017

Plateau: Organized Centre for Empowerment and Advocacy in Nigeria (OCEAN) – 25^th May, 2017.

The findings from these assessments will be used as advocacy tool to engage different organs of governments at the states to push for actions that will contribute to the realization of the SDGs.