The West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP-Nigeria) has launched a new monitoring and assessment platform designed to track the implementation of Nigeria’s Women, Peace and Security (WPS) commitments and identify gaps that could undermine efforts to promote peace and protect women and girls.

The UNSCR 1325 Action Lab and WPS Localisation Monitoring and Assessment Framework, launched in in Abuja is expected to provide a coordinated mechanism for documenting progress, measuring implementation, identifying emerging risks and strengthening accountability at national and subnational levels.

Speaking at the launch, the National Network Coordinator of WANEP-Nigeria, Dr Bridget Osakwe, said the initiative was developed against the need for stronger systems to determine what is being implemented, what is changing and where gaps remain in Nigeria’s efforts to advance the Women, Peace and Security agenda.

Osakwe noted that while Nigeria had made important commitments through national and state-level policies and action plans, institutional initiatives and civil society interventions, there was a need to move beyond the existence of formal policies and commitments.

According to her, the Action Lab would provide a practical platform for “tracking, monitoring, learning and accountability” on the implementation and localisation of the WPS agenda across the country.

She explained that the initiative would not focus solely on formal government plans, but would also document policies, institutions, programmes, services, community initiatives and other interventions contributing to the advancement of Women, Peace and Security.

“The Action Lab is designed as a practical platform for tracking, monitoring, learning, and accountability on WPS implementation and localisation across Nigeria,” Osakwe said.

The WPS Localisation Monitoring and Assessment Framework, she added, would provide stakeholders with a common methodology for generating and using evidence, while creating opportunities for learning, collaboration and accountability.

WANEP Programme Manager, Patience, also highlighted the role of the Action Lab in creating a coordinated approach to documenting progress, measuring implementation, identifying gaps and emerging risks, and highlighting practices capable of strengthening accountability across all levels.

The initiative brings together government institutions, civil society organisations, women and youth networks, communities, development partners, researchers and other stakeholders involved in peacebuilding and conflict prevention.

Osakwe said the success of the initiative would depend not only on collecting evidence but also on how the findings are used to improve policies, programmes, coordination and accountability at national and subnational levels.

The launch marks an effort to strengthen evidence-based implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, which recognises the importance of women’s participation in conflict prevention, peacebuilding and decision-making, as well as the protection of women and girls affected by conflict.

Osakwe stated that WANEP-Nigeria expects continued engagement from stakeholders as the Action Lab begins its work of monitoring and assessing progress on Women, Peace and Security across Nigeria.

Also speaking, UN Women Programme Specialist, Women, Peace and Security, Mr Peter Mancha, said Nigeria had made progress in developing policies to advance women’s participation but still faced significant challenges in translating those commitments into concrete action at national, state and local levels.

He called for greater involvement of Nigerian women in peacebuilding, security and decision-making, warning that the country cannot achieve sustainable peace while women remain underrepresented in leadership.

Mancha said women currently accounted for only about five per cent of representation in key decision-making institutions, describing the situation as a major concern as the country approaches another election cycle.

He said Nigeria did not lack capable women but lacked the enabling environment required for them to compete effectively with men for leadership positions.

“We do not lack women, but the enabling empowerment is not there for women to compete with their male counterparts,” Mancha said.

According to him, UN Women is working with the Nigerian government and other stakeholders to address the gaps through women’s economic empowerment, political participation, security and humanitarian interventions.

A major focus of the organisation’s work is the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, adopted on October 31, 2000, which calls for greater participation of women in the prevention and resolution of conflicts and in peace and security processes.

Mancha said the latest National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security provides an opportunity for Nigeria to learn from weaknesses identified in previous plans and develop a stronger mechanism for implementation, monitoring and evaluation.

He said a major weakness of previous action plans was limited government ownership, stressing that UN Women had therefore pushed for stronger political commitment before the development of the latest plan.

According to him, President Bola Tinubu has endorsed the latest National Action Plan and expressed commitment to its implementation, while the leadership of the National Assembly has also pledged support, including through budgetary approval and oversight.

He said similar commitments had been obtained from key security institutions, including the Ministry of Defence and the police, arguing that such high-level ownership was essential if the plan was to move beyond policy documents.

“We felt that was the best practice that can be implemented even at the national level,” he said.

Mancha also called for the plan to be effectively localised, noting that national policies would have limited impact if they failed to address the realities faced by women at state and community levels.

He said UN Women was working to develop a standardised framework that would enable states and local governments to implement and monitor the plan effectively, while generating reliable data on women, peace and security.

He noted that poverty, injustice and exclusion were among the underlying issues that must be addressed if Nigeria was to make meaningful progress in achieving peace and security.

On her part, Head of Programs WANEP Nigeria

Patience Ikpeh Obaulo said the implementation of Resolution 1325 had helped bring emerging challenges confronting women at the grassroots to the forefront.

Obaulo explained that Nigeria’s National Action Plan, first adopted in 2013 and subsequently reviewed, had been localised in a number of states, with some communities developing mechanisms to translate the policy into action at the local level.

She cited Delta and Borno states among areas where efforts had been made to localise the women, peace and security agenda.

According to her, there is evidence that women are increasingly being brought to decision-making tables on peace and security issues at the grassroots, although much of the progress remains underreported.

Obaulo noted that greater documentation and monitoring were necessary to determine whether women were being meaningfully included in peace and security processes rather than simply being represented symbolically.

The speakers stressed that effective implementation of the National Action Plan would require sustained political commitment, adequate funding, monitoring and accountability, as well as stronger participation by women at all levels of governance.