Nation
UNFPA Reaffirms Commitment To Protect, Empower Girl-Child
The UN Population Fund (UNFPA) has reaffirmed its commitment to protect and empower the girl-child in Nigeria.
The Fund’s Country Representative, Ms Ulla Mueller, made the commitment at the Validation of the 9th Country Programme Document (CPD) of the Fund for Nigeria in Abuja.
The Tide’s source reports that the Fund’s 9th Country Programme (CP), spanning 2023-2027, will accelerate the country’s development aspirations.
The source also reports that the UNFPA had been developing and implementing programmes to suit the needs, aspirations and development of countries across the globe.
The programmes are aligned to national priorities and the UN Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) 2020-2025, contributing to its five strategic areas of Economic Development, Social Development, Strengthened Institutions; Peace, Security and Justice, and Environment.
In Nigeria, the Fund’s 8th CP which focused on tackling Gender-Based Violence (GBV), Maternal Mortality, Family Planning, among others, will lapse on Dec. 31, 2022, hence the need for a 9th CP so as to build on lessons learnt from the current cycle.
The CP will also enable UNFPA to work toward achieving the three transformative goals of zero unmet need for contraception; zero preventable maternal deaths; and zero GBV and harmful practices by the year 2030.
The country representative, therefore, expressed the interest of the UN system in empowering and protecting the girl-child through continuous access to sexual and reproductive health rights.
She described girls and young people as the future of every nation, saying that protecting them is in line with UNFPA’s strategy.
According to her, the Fund will continue to contribute to the development of Nigeria through improved healthcare for women, girls, children, adolescents, men and people living with disabilities.
The Alliance Française Port Harcourt in conjunction with the Embassy of France Nigeria over the weekend joined the globe to campaign against the 2025 gender- based violence (GBV) with the theme: “16 Days of Activism Against Gender- Based Voice”
The event which took place at the event Hall of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt was in collaboration with the Female in Gaming Network, ( FIGN) and partnership with Nexal a body that seeks to promote online safety and responsible digital behaviour.
The Tide reports that the project which was aimed at promoting digital safety and girls inclusion in Gaming, with the initiative tagged ‘Gameover Gender- Base Violence’was part of the global campaign against gender- based Violence.
The activity which experienced a flavour of festivity was full of fun and excitements as participants took part in tournaments on popular digital games such as Mario kart and EAFC 25, with an intent to creating safer and more inclusive digital spaces.
The Director of the Alliance Française Port Harcourt, Mrs Marina Lacal said that these activities were designed to encourage inclusion of girls, team work and fair play on online gaming spaces, saying that the gaming world reflects these inequalities, where female players are often under represented.
According to her the main objectives of the initiative was to provide a supportive environment for girls and female in gaming network.
“GameOverGBV” is a project created to reshape this landscape by offering an innovative inclusiveness of girls on online digital Gaming community and digital environments that provide opportunities for creativity, learning and connection, but also fight against Gender-Based Violence Digital Gaming,”she said
She however, explained that the Digital Game, sport competitions, was launched to strengthen social and digital skills through games, workshops, and raise awareness among all young participants about respect, equality and digital citizenship.
The Tide News reports that in Port Harcourt, the competition brought together 100 young participants from three major universities: University of Port Harcourt, ( UNIPORT),Ignatius Ajuru University of Education(IAUE) and Rivers State University (RSU)as well as students from four selected secondary schools, Oginigba comprehensive Secondary.School, Vine lnternational, Virgo predicanda lnternational, and Excellent Montessori Secondary school.
“This is an approach where girls and boys can learn, play and collaborate in a more respectful and safe space for young women, while ensuring a safe, enjoyable and respectful digital environment. It also expose young women to cyberbullying, exclusion, sexist comments and online hate,” Mrs. Lacal said.
Earlier, a game developer Sophia Nei and her. team had engaged participants in an interactive session with the theme: “Can Video Games Be Safe Spaces For Girls?”
However, Mrs Nei and her team educated the girls on the benefits and violence on online digital gaming and urged them ( participants)to learn to say ‘No’ to Online hate, sexist and cyber bullying, while encouraging them(students) to stand up for themselves by reporting such issues to the appropriate authority.
Highlight of the competition was the awarding of prizes to winners by the Director of Alliance Française, Mrs Marina Lacal.
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