NIGER

Niger’s first NAP covered 2016-2018.  Their second, and current NAP, covers 2020-2024. It is written in French, with an English (google machine) translation at: Niger-2020-2024_french_ENG-translation-Google-Translation.pdf (wpsnaps.org)

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Objectives/Aims of the 2020-2024 NAP:

There are five key strategic objectives, each supported (in the Results Framework that will be used for monitoring and evaluation of the NAP) by specific actions to be undertaken, and anticipated outcomes with indicators of achievement.

1. PROMOTION: To promote and ensure the rights of women and girls in all circumstances and by all.

2. PROTECTION: To increase women’s and girls’ access to basic social services, economic opportunities, social justice, and protect them from exposure to violence.

3. PARTICIPATION: To remove obstacles and cultural barriers and increase women’s involvement in conflict prevention, public and private decision-making spaces, in order to strengthen social cohesion.

4. PARTNERSHIP: To build a more resilient society by creation of intervention frameworks between public and private actors, women’s and youth organisations.

5. CO-ORDINATION: To create an inclusive, participatory system with adequate resources to implement the objectives of the WPS agenda.

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Commentary:

Niger has been confronted with a plurality of threats: conflicts over access to natural and public resources, and political/institutional instability due to conflicts of access/management of power.  Religious radicalism, which has led to the presence of numerous armed and terrorist groups in neighbourIng countries (Mali, Nigeria, Burkina Faso, and Libya), has exposed Niger to significant violence. Niger’s first NAP (2016 –2019) observed that women and girls are the main victims of the conflicts on the Nigerien territory. Following the emergence of these new issues and challanges to peace and security, Niger developed and adopted the new NAP in 2020 with the aim of drawIng lessons from the implementation of the first NAP and makIng adjustments to positively impact the conditions of Nigerien women and girls.

The NAP (Appendix A, p35) states there will be a budget of US $2,850,000  for implementation and monitoring of the NAP.

July 26, 2023 saw a coup take place in Niger, which has created uncertainty and instability.  It is unclear at this stage whether this will impact on implementation of the NAP.

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Civil Society involvement in development of the NAP:

Although the NAP states there was an intention to engage widely with civil society in design of the second NAP, there was limited engagement in the drafting largely due to COVID, when consultative meetings were cancelled.  However, in the NAP Appendices there is a list of thirty civil society organisations that were invited to one of the workshops (p36-37).  

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UN Peacekeeping Statistics:

Niger has been an important contributor of UN peacekeeping personnel.  In May 2023

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Women’s role in peacekeeping:

The above table indicates very few women were deployed in Niger’s military contribution to the UN’s peacekeeping forces.  Women were, however, better represented among individual police officers (38.4%).  

Looking back at what had been achieved under the first NAP, the new NAP lists “more than 600 women and girls from rural areas have been trained in conflict mediation and the culture of peace.”(p16)

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References:

Niger National Action Plan is at:  Niger-2020-2024_french_ENG-translation-Google-Translation.pdf (wpsnaps.org)

United Nations Peacekeeping. (May 2023): Troop and police contributors | United Nations Peacekeeping ‌

Contribution of Uniformed Personnel to UN by Country, Mission, and Personnel Type (May 2023): 05-Missions Detailed By Country

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