By Muhammad Amaan
The United Nations Women (UN Women) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with some media executives on promoting gender equality in leadership.
The Country Representative of UN Women and ECOWAS, Ms Beatrice Eyong, signed the document with some media executives at a UN Women roundtable with media executives.
The event held in Ikeja, Lagos State on Friday.
“We are here with few media executives and managing directors to key media organisations on challenges affecting women’s representation in the social economic and political sectors.
“We need to examine opportunities where the media can address challenges faced by women and girls.
“UN Women invests in enhancing personal resilience and professional development of women in order to increase their contributions to leadership, economic growth, peace, security and humanitarian service.
“UN Women believe that investment in women equals to investing in the architecture of the society,” she said.
According to her, no nation can prosper if its women are excluded, adding that women had different needs.
“We have women who just want economic empowerment mostly in the rural areas.
“Some women have passed this stage; what they want is recognition.
“There are also women who just want to contribute to the society.
“Women have different needs; so one size cannot fit all, we need to identify what this needs are in order to position women strategically,” she said.
She highlighted some services UN Women rendered in order to promote gender equality.
Eyong said that gender equality was central to the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adding that Nigeria had been lagging behind.
“As long as we are not able to accelerate gender equality, we will not be able to accelerate implementation of the SDGs; that is why we are here to recognise the fact that we cannot do this job alone.
Some of the media executives who signed the MoU are from Nigerian Television Authority, News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Voice of Nigeria (VON), Lagos Television (LTV) and the Guardian Media Group.
