By,Jumoke Ariyo
The Coordinator, Office of the First Lady, Edesili Anani, has reaffirmed her commitment to promoting peace, inclusion, and opportunities for women and youths to contribute meaningfully to society.
Anani, who was represented by Ame Ajayi, stated this during a two-day training workshop organised by West Africa Network for Peacebuilding in collaboration with the Global Network of Women Peacebuilders in Benin City.
The workshop, organised for journalists and media practitioners on Women, Peace and Security (WPS), Youth, Peace and Security (YPS), and conflict-sensitive reporting, focused on increasing the visibility of women and youths as leaders and active contributors to peacebuilding processes.
Director of Media at the Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development, Daisy Osunde, who represented the Commissioner for Women Affairs and Social Development, Eugenia Abdallah, urged journalists and media practitioners to embrace conflict-sensitive reporting as a vital tool for promoting peace, unity, and social inclusion.
She cautioned against sensationalism, misinformation, and inflammatory reporting, warning that such practices could aggravate social tensions, gender discrimination, and violence, and further encouraged media professionals to prioritise accuracy, fairness, and ethical journalism in their reportage.
In her remarks, the National Network Coordinator of West Africa Network for Peacebuilding, Bridget Osakwe, called on the Edo State Government to domesticate the National Action Plan on the implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. She explained that the plan aligns with the SHINE Agenda of Governor Monday Okpebholo and guarantees women’s participation in peace processes, noting that it has already been implemented at the national level.
Speaking in an interview, resource person Adesuwa Osa-Uwagie said the essence of the training was to amplify silent voices and encourage journalists to explore meaningful story angles even in difficult situations.
Highlights of the workshop included the induction of eight participants into the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding for further training and partnership opportunities.
