Vulnerabilidade e Desenvolvimento: um estudo sobre o empoderamento econômico para a igualdade de gênero nos projetos da ONU Mulheres na Nigéria (2015–2023)

Abstract

Women’s economic empowerment is a key concept in the global development agenda, promoted as a strategy to achieve both economic growth and gender equality. In Nigeria, various programs aim to increase women’s economic participation; however, these efforts often fail to address structural inequalities or protect women’s rights. This research analyzes the extent to which UN Women influences the adoption and implementation of inclusive policies and legislative frameworks that address the specific needs of rural women in Nigeria between 2015 and 2023, through its work in the area of economic empowerment. The chosen timeframe reflects key contextual factors such as worsening national insecurity, the economic shocks triggered by the COVID-19 pandemic, and broader economic challenges that affected policy responses to the needs of vulnerable women. Additionally, this period aligns with the global launch of UN Women’s Climate Resilient Agriculture (CRA) flagship program in 2015 and with the implementation of the international Sustainable Development Agenda. The research focuses on two specific initiatives under the CRA program: the Gender Mainstreaming in Agricultural Development and Sustainability Program in Borno State and the Women’s Climate and Resilient Agriculture Value Chain Program in Ebonyi State. Both programs aim to build climate resilience and promote economic inclusion for women in rural communities. Findings indicate that while these initiatives address immediate needs, they often operate within entrenched systems of inequality shaped by gender, geography, and class, factors that remain insufficiently addressed. Despite UN Women’s global mandate to promote gender-responsive norms, its interventions in Nigeria during this period often provided short-term economic relief without generating lasting policy change. Furthermore, the study reveals a disconnect between UN Women’s global rhetoric and local realities, underscoring the need for context-specific economic empowerment strategies that genuinely prioritize gender equality and the advancement of women’s rights.