Promoting Equality Through Awareness in Schools - United Nations Partnerships for SDGs platform

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Promoting Equality Through Awareness in Schools

Description
SDGs & Targets
Deliverables & timeline
Resources mobilized

Description/achievement of initiative

The Association of Professional Women Engineers of Nigeria is a catalyst for the advancement of women in the engineering profession towards national and global technological development. They continuously increase awareness that science, technology, engineering and mathematics STEM, is also a career for girls and encourage women to achieve excellence. They have organised programmes and career talks to generate interest in STEM. The early intervention and strategy to promote equality through awareness will be an extension of this programme. It would also create awareness and propagate the understanding of science, technology, innovation and its effect on the sustainable development agenda.

Implementation methodologies

• APWEN and partners will direct, lead and manage the initiative of the awareness programme on equality to promote gender equity, behaviour change, diversity and inclusion particularly focused on school children and relevant groups with the purpose to institutionalise sustainable equality models. They will be accountable for formulation, design, planning, implementing, monitoring and evaluation of the programme to ensure overall efficiency and effectiveness of the programme management, delivery and accomplishment of programme goals and objectives.
• Create awareness and propagate the understanding of science, technology, innovation and its effect on the sustainable development agenda through organised programmes and talks to primary and secondary schools, undergraduate students, relevant groups etc. APWEN will collaborate with partners to ensure development of effective communication materials and strategies to support SDG initiatives on gender equality and advocacy.
• Strengthening partnership: Support the Government of Nigeria to develop and implement a strategy for providing awareness and importance of equality to all Nigerian schools; Promoting general knowledge of global human rights and gender issues, specifically relating to children and women equality; Mobilising legislators to formulate and enact laws promoting gender equity and children’s rights.
• APWEN will produce periodic update through accurate and complete monitoring and evaluation, and the timely preparation of reports.

Arrangements for Capacity-Building and Technology Transfer

• Capacity building and training: This involves providing training to increase the knowledge of school pupils, parents/ teachers associations, women and youth groups, as well as other relevant groups. In designing and delivering its training activities, APWEN will utilise concept learning through presentations, workshops and trainings by experts and experience sharing through discussions and panels.
• Capacity building of partners through promoting knowledge management and sharing of new initiatives.
• Provide support to policy reforms for long-term sustainability of initiatives and lobby for strengthening of technology practices. Promote existing as well as developing scientific, technological, professional and related capacities.

Coordination mechanisms/governance structure

The strength of APWEN lies in its parent body, The Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria. It also has extensive outreach and networks to international professional associations. APWEN has over the years been able to foster relationships with international and local partners as well as financial sponsors. It is well represented in every state in Nigeria. This structure will support knowledge sharing and capacity development.

Partner(s)

Nigerian Society of Engineers, Federal Government of Nigeria

Progress reports

Goal 4

4.1 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys complete free, equitable and quality primary and secondary education leading to relevant and effective learning outcomes

4.2 - By 2030, ensure that all girls and boys have access to quality early childhood development, care and pre-primary education so that they are ready for primary education

4.3 - By 2030, ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university

4.4 - By 2030, substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment, decent jobs and entrepreneurship

4.5 - By 2030, eliminate gender disparities in education and ensure equal access to all levels of education and vocational training for the vulnerable, including persons with disabilities, indigenous peoples and children in vulnerable situations

4.6 - By 2030, ensure that all youth and a substantial proportion of adults, both men and women, achieve literacy and numeracy

4.7 - By 2030, ensure that all learners acquire the knowledge and skills needed to promote sustainable development, including, among others, through education for sustainable development and sustainable lifestyles, human rights, gender equality, promotion of a culture of peace and non-violence, global citizenship and appreciation of cultural diversity and of culture’s contribution to sustainable development

4.a - Build and upgrade education facilities that are child, disability and gender sensitive and provide safe, non-violent, inclusive and effective learning environments for all

4.b - By 2020, substantially expand globally the number of scholarships available to developing countries, in particular least developed countries, small island developing States and African countries, for enrolment in higher education, including vocational training and information and communications technology, technical, engineering and scientific programmes, in developed countries and other developing countries

4.c - By 2030, substantially increase the supply of qualified teachers, including through international cooperation for teacher training in developing countries, especially least developed countries and small island developing States

Goal 5

5.1 - End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere

5.2 - Eliminate all forms of violence against all women and girls in the public and private spheres, including trafficking and sexual and other types of exploitation

5.3 - Eliminate all harmful practices, such as child, early and forced marriage and female genital mutilation

5.4 - Recognize and value unpaid care and domestic work through the provision of public services, infrastructure and social protection policies and the promotion of shared responsibility within the household and the family as nationally appropriate

5.5 - Ensure women’s full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life

5.6 - Ensure universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights as agreed in accordance with the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Beijing Platform for Action and the outcome documents of their review conferences

5.a - Undertake reforms to give women equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to ownership and control over land and other forms of property, financial services, inheritance and natural resources, in accordance with national laws

5.b - Enhance the use of enabling technology, in particular information and communications technology, to promote the empowerment of women

5.c - Adopt and strengthen sound policies and enforceable legislation for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of all women and girls at all levels

December 2016