Armed Forces records 27.9% female participation in peacekeeping operations – CDS Gen. Musa

Published By Aisha Rabo On Nov 10, 2023

Armed Forces records 27.9% female participation in peacekeeping operations – CDS Gen. Musa

General Christopher Musa, the Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), says the available record has revealed that the Nigerian military has surpassed the 17 percent UN-recommended benchmark by obtaining 27.9 percent of female personnel participating in peacekeeping missions.

General Musa made this disclosure at the National Defence College in Abuja on Thursday, at a one-day gender mainstreaming conference with the title “Building Capacity Through Gender Mainstreaming to Meet Security Challenges.”

The purpose of the conference was to enhance the understanding of gender mainstreaming in the Nigerian Armed Forces.

“I am glad to inform this gathering that Nigeria and indeed the Armed Forces of Nigeria, in particular, have received encomium from notable international organizations, such as the United Nations and the Africa Union for adopting commendable gender mainstreaming policies in all its military operations conducted within and outside the shores of Nigeria, as the available record reveals that Armed Forces of Nigeria have been able to attain 27.9 per cent female participation in peacekeeping operations, surpassing the 17 per cent recommended benchmark by the United Nations.

The CDS noted that “the Conference is also tailored at fashioning out the right ambience for the Armed Forces in designing, implementing, monitoring and evaluating operational and administrative doctrines that seek to promote and enhance capacity by leveraging gender mainstreaming in combating the myriads of security challenges in our nation.

“These deliberate efforts by the military are in line with the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325, mandating countries to develop their action plans to identify, evaluate and control efforts to achieve the objectives of Women, Peace and Security.

“The United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 was mooted to ensure women and societal security needs are safeguarded through increased emphasis on prevention, protection and participation of women in military operations.

Gen Musa pointed out that, “the asymmetric nature of current security challenges bedevilling us as a nation brings to bear the need for the military and other security agencies to adopt a more realistic gender mainstreaming strategy to defend and protect women and children who are the most vulnerable group of persons and victims of the consequences of security challenges”.

“As we look forward to fruitful deliberations throughout this conference, I want to urge all participants and stakeholders to be open-minded to engage in constructive discussions that will further improve the existing gender policies and gender mainstreaming in the military,” he stressed.

Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, the first lady, represented by the wife of the vice president, Mrs. Hajiya Nana Shettima, and Abubakar Badaru, the Minister of Defence, were in attendance.

Armed Forces records 27.9% female participation in peacekeeping operations – CDS Gen. Musa