Oluwatobi Ayodele
Vision Spring Initiative organized a Generation Equality Writing Workshop for 12 young feminists in Nigeria.
The aim was to build the capacity of young feminists on the thematic areas in the Beijing declaration and platform for action including its structural objectives and methods of contextualizing each area from a young feminist perspective.
Participants for the workshop were drawn and carefully selected for their line of work and in relation to the thematic areas of the Beijing Declaration. The selection led to the gathering of feminist lawyers, psychologists, writers, and communications consultants.
Speaking at the 2 days’ workshop, the Project Consultant, Ngozi Nwosu-Juba, gave a comprehensive explanation of the history of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action from inception in 1995 and a 25 years overview and the position Nigeria holds on the achievement level of all the recommendations. She also gave a breakdown analysis of the writing structure to guide the participants in their work.
Tawakalit Kareem, communications officer, Invictus Africa, mentioned the necessity and timeliness of the workshop, particularly for Nigeria where young people’s opinions are not heard and included in decision-making at all political levels.
Ogbeche Ohotuowo, a lawyer for The Initiative for Equal Rights also expressed her excitement for the project and her participation in the training.
Due to the movement restrictions caused by Covid-19 pandemic, some of the participants joined virtually which also enhanced a comprehensive conversation and networking amongst the participants.
The two-days writing workshop created space for interactions amongst participants which resulted in identifying new challenges that are peculiar to young people in Africa and by extension, Nigeria. The workshop agreed on some terms of reference and networking model among participants.
The Generation Equality Forum is a global gathering for gender equality, convened by UN Women and co-chaired by France and Mexico, in partnership with civil society and youth. The Forum kicked off in Mexico City from 29-31 March 2021 and will culminate in Paris from 30 June – July 2021. The aim of the Forum is to center young voices from around the world in addressing identified issues that affect women and girls.
It was designed to be an offshoot from the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995 (BPAD). Instead of addressing the 12 thematic areas on BPAD, the Generation Equality was designed on 6 thematic areas which are Gender-Based Violence, Economic justice and rights, Bodily autonomy and sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR), Feminist action for climate justice, Technology and, innovation for Gender Equality, Feminist movements and leadership.
Vision spring initiatives is doing a great job.