UN Women and partners have announced a $25 million private sector-led Gender Based Violence (GBV) fund to promote and develop women’s business capability.
The fund is supposed to be a contribution from Nigerian private sector organizations that goes beyond corporate social responsibility to intentional gender-responsive and gender-specific actions to reduce violence against women and girls and increase women’s empowerment.
Mr. Maxime Houinato, UN Women Regional Director for West and Central Africa, who is in Nigeria for an executive visit, met with representatives of private sector enterprises and CEOs, where the $25 million private sector-led GBV Fund was announced.
The high-level roundtable meetings with the private sector were organised in Lagos by WISCAR and WIMBIZ, which are leading economic empowerment non-profit organisations focusing on promoting women-owned businesses and improving the capacity of women in doing business.
Mr.Houinato reiterated that the private sector plays a critical cross-cutting role in advancing gender equality & women’s empowerment, including women’s political participation, economic empowerment, and violence against women and girls, and therefore should escalate its efforts in promoting and investing in issues of women’s livelihood and access to economic opportunities.
UN Women Representative to Nigeria and ECOWAS, Beatrice Eyong, in her remark, stated that the financial implication of GBV is enormous and insisted that if the prevalence of violence against women and girls reduces, family income and earnings will improve and so will the economy of the society at large.
The launch of the $25 million Private Sector-led GBV Fund is a landmark in UN Women Nigeria’s effort to increase private sector participation and investment in GEWE initiatives in Nigeria.
The private sector is an important partner in community development.
It contributes to breakthroughs in technology, governance, research development, workforce development, and capacity building as a major contributor to national income and a large job generator and employer.
The commercial sector is crucial in promoting and advocating for gender equality and women’s empowerment. With the GBV fund, UN Women is forging a new path in tackling the predominance of women and girls in Nigeria on a big scale.
This admirable project will increase funding available for strategic GEWE interventions and promote access to justice, livelihood, and other economic prospects for GBV survivors.
