Excellencies, Distinguished Delegates, Ladies and Gentlemen,
On behalf of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, I extend warm greetings and sincere appreciation to the Government of the People’s Republic of China and UN Women for convening this timely and visionary meeting; the Global Leaders’ Meeting on Women in Beijing, China. Themed One Shared Future: New and Accelerated Process for Women’s All-Round Development. It is an honour to share Nigeria’s progress at a moment when the call for accelerated transformation for women and girls has never been more urgent.
- The year 2025 holds profound significance; marking 80 years of the United Nations, 30 years of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, 25 years of UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace, and Security and 30 years of Global Social Development Agenda. These milestones remind us that the advancement of women is central to peace, prosperity, and sustainable development.
- Your Excellencies distinguished ladies and gentlemen, in direct response to the 1995 Beijing Conference, Nigeria established the Federal Ministry of Women Affairs and Social Development as the National Institutional Mechanism for Gender Equality quality and Social inclusion. This structure remains a cornerstone for coordinating national action, mainstreaming gender, and protecting women, children, and vulnerable groups.
- May I inform this distinguished gathering that despite so much progress, challenges persist. Guided by the Renewed Hope Agenda of our President, Nigeria is advancing transformative reforms that position women, children, the Family and all vulnerables at the centre of national renewal. We have consolidated major frameworks; the National Gender Policy, 2021 to 2026, the National Women’s Economic Empowerment (WEE) Policy, (2023), the National Policy on Ending Child Marriage, and the Third National Action Plan on Women, Peace and Security (2025–2030), and many other legal instruments and frameworks all designed to expand opportunity, protect rights, strengthen resilience and increase investment.
- It is pertinent to note that to translate these frameworks into measurable outcomes, Nigeria is implementing the Renewed Hope Social Impact Interventions- 774 (RH-SII-774); a coordinated national delivery platform operating across all 774 Local Government Areas of the country. The programme integrates nine mutually reinforcing pillars that together drive women-centred, children protected, and family-focused transformation.
- These programmes are already reshaping local economies, driving inclusion, and demonstrating the power of gender-responsive delivery on a scale. Please note Nigeria’s effort in addressing women’s representation in politics; elected positions through the Special Reserved Seats Bill soon to be passed and adopted by the Nigeria Parliament and endorsed by the Nigerian Government.
- In realising, this ambition, Nigeria must bridge an estimated USD 1.2 billion financing gap over the next five years. We are therefore mobilizing blended finance, strengthening partnerships with the private sector, and leveraging impact-investment instruments to sustain these transformative interventions.
- Excellencies, friends and partners in progress, as we gather once again in Beijing – the birthplace of the global women’s movement to chat a cause for new and accelerated progress for women’s all round development, Nigeria reaffirms that empowering women is not an act of charity, but an investment in productivity, peace, and shared prosperity. Under the Renewed Hope Agenda, we moved from commitment to action, from promise to measurable progress, determined to ensure that no woman is unseen, no girl unheard, no child is forgotten, and no family is left behind.
- May the conversations of today and relationships forged aid accelerated progress for women’s all round development. I thank you all for your attention.
