CLEEN Foundation Decries Benue Govt’s Slow Implementation of Women, Peace and Security Agenda

By Uche Nnorom, Makurdi

The CLEEN Foundation has expressed concern over what it described as the Benue State Government’s lukewarm commitment to implementing the Women, Peace and Security (WPS) agenda.

Executive Secretary of the Foundation, Peter Maduoma, raised the concern during a three-day state-level dialogue on advancing gender-responsive policies and institutional practices in Makurdi.

Maduoma, represented by CLEEN Foundation Programme Manager, Chigozirim Okoro, identified weak coordination, inadequate funding and poor documentation as major challenges affecting implementation of the WPS agenda in the state.

He said the Ministry of Women Affairs needed to strengthen coordination among stakeholders to ensure that gender-responsive policies move from planning to effective implementation.

According to him, although the state has recorded some progress, many interventions have been carried out in isolation without adequate coordination and dedicated budgetary provisions.

“Coordination remains a challenge in Benue State. There are also financial issues relating to budgeting and implementation of the WPS agenda and the State Action Plan. The last action plan was never implemented,” he said.

Maduoma said CLEEN Foundation had supported several peacebuilding and gender inclusion initiatives in Benue, including the establishment of peace structures, women mediation platforms and advocacy programmes promoting gender equality and social inclusion.

He added that the Foundation had worked with UN Women, with support from the Norwegian Embassy, on initiatives including the HeForShe campaign, which engages men as advocates for gender equality.

Maduoma disclosed that a revised State Action Plan was being developed by the Elohim Foundation with support from the Tetra Tech SPRING programme, while CLEEN Foundation was supporting stakeholder training and the establishment of an implementation committee.

He said the three-day dialogue was designed to identify implementation gaps, clarify the responsibilities of stakeholders and develop practical measures for advancing the WPS agenda in Benue State.

“As much as possible, we want gender equality in Benue State and the State Action Plan to move from paper to implementation. This requires coordinated efforts,” he said.