Abuja: The Strengthening Peace and Resilience in Nigeria (SPRiNG) Programme has commended Nigeria on the launch of its third National Action Plan on Women, Peace, and Security (NAP III) and pledged support for its implementation. Dr. Ukoha Ukiwo, Team Lead of Tetra Tech, SPRiNG Programme, made this announcement at the launch of NAP III on the implementation of the United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325, which was spearheaded by the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, the SPRiNG Programme is an initiative of the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO), designed to support efforts to build a more stable Nigeria where citizens benefit from reduced violence and increased resilience to the impacts of climate change. Ukiwo expressed the programme’s honor in being part of the inauguration of Nigeria’s third NAP on Women, Peace, and Security, congratulating the nation and the Women Affairs Ministry for this milestone achievement.
Ukiwo stated, “SPRING is committed to partnerships to strengthen the implementation of NAP, especially as it relates to reforms in peace, justice, and security institutions aimed at strengthening women’s inclusion, institutional accountability, and community-centered security.” He emphasized the programme’s dedication to complementing government-led efforts to address the vulnerability of young women and men to radicalization, sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV), and institutionalizing women’s meaningful inclusion and participation in peace and security governance and decision-making.
The team lead highlighted that to ensure the commitments in the third NAP were met, SPRING was supporting the implementation of relevant policies and legislation, including State and Local Action Plans on Women, Peace, and Security (WPS). He called for a more concerted effort to advance gender-responsive and disability-inclusive peace, justice, and security architecture, where security sector institutions embed inclusion, accountability, prevention, and resilience into policy and practice.
Ukiwo stressed that institutionalizing women’s participation across these sectors and ensuring accessibility for persons with disabilities remained essential to effective service delivery, public trust, and leaving no one behind. He reaffirmed SPRiNG’s commitment to effective partnerships with the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and other stakeholders to accelerate the implementation of NAP III alongside state and local development plans.
Ukiwo also promised that the programme would ensure inclusive, evidence-driven, and locally responsive Women, Peace, and Security action in Nigeria. He congratulated the Government of Nigeria on the important milestone and commended the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs for its leadership in delivering a consultative, inclusive, and forward-looking NAP III, acknowledging the support from UN Women and other partners.
The Minister of Women Affairs and Social Development, Imaan Ibrahim-Sulaiman, commended the Tetra Tech’s SPRiNG Programme for their support in the development of NAP III. She highlighted that the launch of NAP III was a reaffirmation of a national promise, shaped by 30 years of the Beijing platform for action of 1995, 30 years of the Women Affairs Ministry in Nigeria, and 25 years since the adoption of the UN Security Council Resolution 1325 in 2000.
Ibrahim-Sulaiman remarked, “These milestones converge here as vivid reminders that peace is strongest, most enduring, and most just when women are present, when women are heard, and when women are empowered to lead the process. Nigeria’s third national action plan on women, peace, and security stands on a deliberate and progressive continuum.” She concluded by noting that the launch of NAP III, approved by President Bola Tinubu, aligns national efforts with contemporary global realities and firmly anchors them with the renewed hope agenda.