5 ways activists from abroad can help Canada implement women, peace and security initiatives

As we commemorate Canada’s adoption of the United Nations’ Women, Peace and Security initiative 24 years ago, it’s a good time to amplify voices, champion the path forward and measure our progress.

Since the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) was first adopted in 2000, the indispensable role of women in peace processes was formally established. Canada emerged as a leader in advancing the priorities of the initiative globally.

But to truly make women, peace and security policies impactful, the government of Canada must prioritize the voices of activists in exile — those of us who have lived through and actively worked amid ongoing colonial and other conflicts.

Canada’s commitment to gender equality has involved advocacy for women’s inclusion in peace processes, as well as Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy. The Clinton Health Access Initiative, which receives some funding from the Canadian government, is believed to have saved 28,000 lives in my home country of Nigeria, where women continue to face systemic challenges.

My role in Nigerian efforts

In 2013, I was part of the launch of the UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan in Nigeria, mainly championed by the Nigeria Stability and Reconciliation Programme and UN Women.

As an activist, I have spent more than a decade working on the front lines, advocating for the participation and inclusion of women in peace processes and post-conflict reconciliations.

Nigerians in the northeast region of the country have been fleeing Boko Haram, a destabilizing armed militant group. Women and children are more vulnerable in such situations and constitute the highest casualties.

But just like in other countries, women and children in Nigeria are largely left out of formal peace processes, relegated to the periphery or invited only as observers or token participants rather than active decision-makers.

Barriers to participation include traditional societal norms that keep women on the sidelines, limited access to decision-making spaces and an absence of political will from male-dominated leadership structures. These barriers are exacerbated by international practices and policies — from the private, public and non-profit sectors — that are either blind to or influential in the marginalization of women and girls.

Excluding Nigerian women is problematic for three reasons.

First, women suffer in gendered ways from displacement, violence and economic instability. Second, across the country, women’s groups play key roles in providing humanitarian aid, conflict resolution and rebuilding social structures post-conflict. And third, Nigeria’s National Action Plan offers a framework that hasn’t been implemented yet and needs international support.

A powerful asset

Since moving to Canada to pursue my PhD in feminist and gender studies at the University of Ottawa, I haven’t eased up in my activism. Like many activists living abroad, I find myself in Ottawa, just a short distance from Parliament, working to continue the fight for women’s participation and inclusion in Nigerian peace negotiations from abroad.

My close proximity to the Canadian government provides a unique opportunity for collaboration. Activists like me, specifically those with first-hand experience in conflict-affected regions, remain an untapped resource that the Canadian government could leverage to strengthen its global security and peace strategies.

We bring with us networks, a wealth of knowledge and lived experiences that could be instrumental to Canada’s efforts in promoting peace and security globally.

We have a firm understanding of the dynamics of conflict and the barriers to women’s inclusion and participation in peace processes. By engaging with us, Canada can strengthen its approach to global affairs and ensure that its policies are informed by realities on the ground.

Canada’s National Action Plan

Canada’s UNSCR 1325 National Action Plan supports grassroots women’s organizations, sexual and reproductive health rights and integrating gender into peace-building.

Here’s how activists from abroad now living in Canada could play a key role in the plan’s ongoing implementation in five ways:

1. Collaborative vision: Global activists can advance the goals of the UNSCR 1325 and strengthen Canada’s leadership in global peace and gender equality efforts.
2. Targeted engagements: Structured engagement initiatives or advisory roles for these activists could be implemented so they can share insights directly with Canadian policymakers.
3. Impactful allocation: Activists from abroad could be engaged to identify high-impact funding areas, advancing long-term outcomes.
4. Increased support for women-led interventions: Canada could leverage the knowledge of activists from abroad and increase targeted funding for grassroots, women-led initiatives, especially in conflict zones, ensuring they are well-equipped and resourced to address urgent needs for communities.
5. Firming up the National Action Plan: Activists from abroad could be integrated in the development of policies for UNSCR 1325, providing insights from their first-hand conflict experience to help improve Canada’s global peace response.

These five suggestions emerge from my transnational experiences and studies. But I’m only one among many activists from abroad who have the insights and great interest in tangibly improving the lives of all people living in ongoing colonial and other conflict.