A coalition of civil society organisations operating in Adamawa state has canvassed for more women participation in governance and decision making roles.
This was part of the 165-member group’s demands while marking this year’s International women’s Day with the theme: ‘Gender equality today for sustainable tomorrow.’
The group under the aegis of Community of Adamawa Civil Organisation urged government at both national and sub-national levels to pursue the inclusion of women in governance and decision making processes in society.
Chairman, Network of Adamawa Non-governmental Organisations in the state, Peter Egwudah, at the event, said women have remained at the core of most humanitarian responses because of their role as better change agents, compared to their male counterparts.
Egwudah, while making the case for more women to be given the opportunity to occupy decision making roles through their participation in governance, said women have proven to be better agents of change as attested by their contributions to recovery efforts in post-conflict settings.
Adding that society stood to gain more from women participation in governance and decision making roles, he said, “Within the humanitarian space, there has been a deliberate policy to place women at the core of humanitarian efforts because women have been identified as better change agents.
“So whether it is in terms of policy issues, training and provision of relief materials, women constitute at least 60% of the beneficiary population. It is a deliberate policy, set up by the United Nations, and all actors within the system, right from the program delivery and project implementation.
“Therefore, it is a model that government can replicate at all levels of governance whether at the national or subnational levels.”
He therefore urged the government to expunge or review all policies that can bring the female gender down because women participation is crucial in bringing cohesion, development and peace.
He said, “What we are asking for from government at all levels is to prioritise the inclusion of more women in governance and ensure that policies that are geared towards bringing the female gender down are expunged or reviewed in order to accommodate the women folk because we need them in the system.”
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