Nigeria FG: New National Peace Policy Unveiled in Abuja

• The Federal Government has launched a new National Peace Policy in Nigeria.
• The policy aims to strengthen conflict prevention, coordination, and resilience across the country.
• A whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach is being adopted to link federal institutions with state and local governments.

The Federal Government has initiated a new National Peace Policy aimed at strengthening conflict prevention, coordination, and resilience across the country. This initiative was launched at a three-day technical workshop organized by the Office for Strategic Preparedness and Resilience (OSPRE) and the Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution (IPCR), in collaboration with Triple Peace Africa in Abuja. The workshop brought together representatives from various Ministries, Departments, and Agencies, legislators, state peace commissions, subnational institutions, civil society organizations, and peacebuilding practitioners from across the country. This effort is designed to develop a framework that aligns Nigeria's peacebuilding efforts with current realities, taking into account developments since the previous attempt in 2012.

The proposed policy aims to involve stakeholders before crises escalate and promote a proactive approach to conflict management. This is in line with the need for a 'whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to peacebuilding,' linking federal institutions with state and local governments, state peace commissions, civil society organizations, and community-level actors. The framework will provide a systematic approach to conflict prevention, involving all stakeholders and moving from reaction after the fact toward anticipation and prevention before the fact. This development may require lawyers advising clients on peacebuilding initiatives or conflict resolution to review the proposed policy's framework.

The new National Peace Policy is critical to strengthening Nigeria's peacebuilding architecture, serving as the normative and operational spine of the country's peacebuilding efforts. The policy will promote civic mobilization and social cohesion, ensuring that adequate resources are provided for its implementation. Stakeholders have pledged their commitment to supporting the policy, with the House of Representatives Committee on Peacebuilding and Social Cohesion vowing to provide necessary resources for its implementation.

This development may require lawyers advising clients on peacebuilding initiatives or conflict resolution to review the proposed policy's framework, which aims to involve stakeholders before crises escalate and promote a proactive approach to conflict management.

Source: Original reporting via Punch Nigeria