Contextualizing universal norms: Evaluating Nigeria's National Action Plans on UNSCR 1325 and women's lived realities in rural areas

When it comes to Women, Peace and Security (WPS), treating the associated United Nations Security Council Resolution as a universal norm gives the impression that women face the same issues in conflict and post-conflict environments. The Women, Peace and Security field is based on the adoption and ratification of United Nations Security Council Resolution (UNSCR) 1325 (2000) and its subsequent resolutions. Due to the slow pace of implementation of Resolution 1325, National Action Plans (NAPs) were introduced. Nigeria has two NAPs: the first from 2013 (2013–2017) and the second from 2017 (2017–2020). National Action Plans are intended to adapt UNSCR 1325 to specific national contexts. Through these NAPs, the lived experiences of women in rural areas, with reference to Nigeria can be addressed. This paper examines whether the Nigerian National Action Plans (NNAP) have effectively localized United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325 (UNSCR 1325) to meet the specific needs of women in rural areas. It argues that the Nigerian NAPs do not adequately capture the lived realities of women in rural areas and calls for more context-specific approaches to ensure effective localization of UNSCR 1325.