Rabiu Salisu, Kaduna State Commissioner for Women Affairs has said that women should be regarded as agents of peace rather than merely victims of conflict.
The commissioner made this known on Thursday at ASAP Pyramids Hotel, Kaduna, during a one-day strategic planning meeting with the Kaduna State Action Plan (KASAP) Implementation Committee on Women, Peace and Security.
Represented by her Senior Special Assistant, Maryam Muazu said, women played important roles in conflict prevention, mediation, reconciliation and sustainable peacebuilding, stressing that their participation should be recognised in efforts to build peaceful communities.
The commissioner said effective peacebuilding required coordinated efforts among government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, women, youth, civil society organisations, security agencies and development partners.
According to her, stronger coordination among stakeholders would improve information sharing, early-warning responses, mediation and referral mechanisms, particularly at the community level.
She urged stakeholders to ensure that peacebuilding interventions addressed the needs of rural women, young women, women living with disabilities, widows and other vulnerable groups.
Salisu assured participants of the ministry’s continued support for initiatives promoting women’s leadership, social inclusion, social cohesion and peaceful communities across Kaduna State.
Earlier, Lydia Umar, executive director, Gender, said the strategic planning meeting was aimed at strengthening coordination among members of the State Accountability and Peacebuilding Implementation Committee (SAPIC).
Umar said the meeting would facilitate a participatory strategic process for the effective implementation, monitoring and reporting of the WPS Agenda in the state.
She said the process would provide stakeholders with an opportunity to strengthen coordination and support more effective implementation of the agenda.
The meeting brought together stakeholders involved in advancing the WPS Agenda, with emphasis on coordination, implementation, monitoring and reporting.