Patrizia Scannella, Programme Director, Human Rights, Women's International League for Peace & Freedom (WILPF - Geneva) was the facilitator of the organisation's event on the 2nd of June, 2017 in Abuja. The validation of WILPF Nigeria's Peace & Security coalition shadow report and workshop on Universal Periodic Review (UPR) was held.
About 30 NGOs and CBOs were in attendance in order to expand the initial coalition of NGOs. Joy Onyesoh of WILPF-Nigeria gave a good account of herself by lending a Nigerian perspective to the UPR process. It was indeed a learning process for the Nigerian NGOs. There were discussions on the following thematic areas:
*Relationship between the CEDAW review, the UPR and the Human Rights Council.
*Gender risk assessment for the UPR
*The difference between the CEDAW committee and the UPR
*The CEDAW reporting cycle
*The role of civil society vis-a vis the CEDAW review & the UPR
*Review of Nigeria's reply to CEDAW committee's concluding observations
*Overview of UPR of Nigeria to date
*How to prepare for the UPR process
The committee recommended that NGOs should:
*Agree among themselves prior to the UPR meeting often held outside Nigeria
*Produce a single report or coalition of reports
*Streamline contradictions in NGO reports
*Use advocacy at the national level
*Build on one another's strengths
The meeting was indeed a useful build-up to the UPR of Nigeria. Nigeria's shadow report is to be submitted on 12th June 2017.
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