Nigeria

Applying an integrated �One-UN Women Nigeria� approach, the Nigeria country office (NCO) continued to drive systemic outcomes to dismantle barriers, harmful social norms, and practices while enhancing local capacities and catalyzing inclusive sustainable development. NCO directly contributed to SDG 5, SDG 8, and SDG 16 through policy transformation, economic inclusion, and institutional strengthening and achieved transformative results in advancing gender equality and women empowerment in Nigeria across our mandates and thematic areas. While several key outcomes were achieved, the CO will highlight one result that had laid a strong foundation for inclusive governance, ensuring that gender-responsive financing is institutionalized for long-term impact on women and girls� economic and social well-being, and ensuring that women and girls benefit equitably from national development.In 2024, UN Women Nigeria strengthened institutional accountability for gender-responsive governance. Through sustained technical assistance and policy engagement, UN Women influenced national budgeting systems, ensuring policy change that promotes gender-inclusive planning and resource allocation. In collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, Gender Responsive Planning and Budgeting (GRPB) was integrated into Nigeria�s 2024/2025 Budget Call Circular. This institutionalized gender consideration across all ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs), mandating gender considerations in planning, budgeting, appropriation, and reporting. Through this, Nigeria took a major step towards embedding gender equality in national governance structures, ensuring that all MDAs apply gender lens in policy and budget formulation, enhancing government accountability and transparency, promoting gender-inclusive resource allocation. As a result: 80+ MDAs were mandated to implement GRPB, influencing ?21 trillion ($26 billion) in national spending to promote gender equality and social inclusion. 30% increase in funding for gender-responsive programs at federal and state levels. Driving this systemic reform were key partnerships and multistakeholder collaborations with several stakeholders such as: The Federal Ministry of Budget and Economic Planning, which championed policy change. The National Assembly, through a partnership with the Office of the Speaker of the House of Assembly, provided legislative oversight and accountability. Women�s rights organizations and gender advocates provided technical expertise and advocacy. Donors, development partners, and the UN provided financial and technical resources. Government systems now prioritize gender-equality commitments in national fiscal planning and promote equitable and sustainable financing. The National Assembly now has a mechanism and a concrete tool to assess the gender responsiveness of national plans and budgets, advancing systemic reforms towards sustainable gender equality in Nigeria.

UN Women's support provides evidence that "pivoting to the field" can significantly drive gender equality results. Despite the challenges in the 2023 general elections, targeted interventions at the state level showcased the potential for women's leadership. UN Women's support significantly increased women's participation and leadership in elective positions and addressed violence against women and girls across six (6) target states in Nigeria. Notable was the increased representation of women in elective positions across the six (6) target states of Borno, Cross-river, Ebonyi, Ekiti, Kaduna, and Kwara states, compared to the national average (11% vs 3.8%, respectively). Prior to the elections, there were only three (3) women in state parliaments across these six (6) states. However, post-elections, this number surged to 17 women, marking a remarkable 576% increase in women's representation in elective positions across the six (6) focus states, particularly in Kwara, from no female representation to five (5) (i.e., 0% to 21%) and in Ekiti, from one (1) female representation to six (6) (i.e., 0.4% to 23%).This deepened engagement at the sub-national level, with the focusing of six states played a pivotal role in addressing gender disparities in political representation, aligning with SDG 5 and UNSDCF 4.2 objectives to achieve gender equality for women and girls.Through UN Women's strategic engagements with diverse stakeholders, including political leaders such as governors, the Nigeria Governors Spouses Forum, government agencies, traditional and religious leaders, the media, and other stakeholders, substantial commitments to address gender equality were made. These enhanced the enabling environment for women to participate, increased their visibility, and reduced the incidence of violence against women and girls in politics. In addition to increasing political representation, UN Women's engagements also resulted in increased budgetary allocations towards gender equality and women empowerment in several states, including Cross River, Ebonyi, and Sokoto, increasing the voice and agency of women and promoting the availability of essential services for survivors of violence against women and girls. In Sokoto State, for instance, a budgetary allocation of N30 million was earmarked to support the Nana Khadijah Center, which aids survivors of SGBV. Cross River State also demonstrated commitment by allocating N350 million for SGBV prevention and response interventions. These financial commitments and policy advancements represent a significant stride in promoting gender equality and empowering women in Nigeria.UN Women's programming adopted the "pivoting to the field" approach, leveraged strategic partnerships to advocate for policy change and address structural barriers, and contributed to the transformative initiative of UNSDCF 4.2 and SDG 5.