Mercy Corps, on the platform of its programme – Community Initiatives to Promote Peace (CIPP) – has organised a peace building forum for women in conflict communities of Bassa Local Government Area of Plateau.
The organisation organised the two-day forum in collaboration with Bassa Women For Peace and Unity Association on Tuesday in Jos.
The organisation said that the forum was to empower the women on approaches to collaboration among them and other peace stakeholders.
Speaking at the forum, the Deputy Chief of Party of CIPP, Mr Sani Suleiman, said that the project funded by USAID is being implemented in six states accross the country to facilitate peace building and gender integration.
“We are focusing on conflict mitigation, early warning and response and addressing violent extremism in communities .
“One key component of our work is gender inclusion which includes empowering women, building their skills, capacities and enabling them to play substantive roles in their respective communities, local government areas and state,” he said .
He said that the forum would empower the participants from various conflict communities of Bassa, to help them play their roles in conflict mitigation effectively.
He said the action would help in strengthening peaceful co-existence in their communities through CIPP’s support.
“Women have the potential of influencing peace, engaging men and youths who are their husbands and children to do the right thing,” he said.
In his remarks, Mr Joseph Lengman, the Director-General of Plateau Peace Building Agency, commended Mercy Corps on its efforts to amplify the voices of women, saying that partnership is very important for the success of peace efforts in the state .
He said that the agency would support in facilitating peace programmes in the state, adding that women determine the likelihood of the durability of peace processes.
In her remarks, Hajiya Rasheeda Yahaya, the President of Bassa Women For Peace and Unity Association, said that she founded the organisation in 2021 because of her passion for peaceful co-existence in Bassa which has been bedivilled with conflicts for many years.
She urged women to cooperate in peace building irrespective of their ethno religious differences, and engage community, religious and political leaders through advocacy as they were usually the worse hit in crisis.
Mrs Fatima Suleiman, the Executive Director, Islamic Counselling Initiative of Nigeria, who coordinated a session on “The role of women in peace building”, said that women had critical roles in the moral upbringing of children to put an end to youth restiveness .
She called for the involvement of women in governance at all levels, saying it would improve the process of decision making and foster sustainable peace .
News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 55 women attended the forum, which had sessions on “Conflict Dynamics and Mitigation Approaches in Plateau; Analysis of Bassa Conflict and Barriers to Gender Inclusive Peace Process in Bassa”.(NAN)
