Nepal: Women Building a Democratic Nepal

May 20, 2008 – (CEDPA) As Nepal emerges from conflict and continues its historic march toward democracy, the recent April 10 elections represent a special milestone for women in the country.

The election formed a new constituent assembly, a 575-member body that will write a new constitution and establish Nepal’s post-monarchy government over the next two years. More than a third of those elected to the assembly are women. These 200 newly elected women leaders have the opportunity to develop a constitution that meets the needs of women and their families throughout the country.

CEDPA has been working with women’s groups in Nepal to ensure their voices have been heard throughout this process.

In advance of the elections, CEDPA/Nepal held a workshop on What to Expect in Peace and Transition in July 2007. The workshop outlined the political processes that occur after conflict has ended, and ways women can engage in these processes to advance women's leadership.

Following the training, CEDPA/Nepal convened women leaders to make sure that their networks could influence the emerging decision-making bodies that were guiding the elections. The group used a new assessment tool developed by CEDPA to determine what Nepali women wanted from the new constitution.

To guarantee a fair representation of women in the assessment, the women’s networks conducted special outreach to rural women and marginalized groups, as well as urban women who were active in universities, worker unions and other groups.

The assessment showed that most women wanted justice system and legal reforms. Most also wanted the new constitution to address issues such as property and citizenship rights, skills and employment opportunities, and violence against women.

In addition to the training workshop and the assessment survey, CEDPA/Nepal joined with 30 women’s networks and organizations to form a new WomenAct coalition. The coalition of “Women Acting for Transformative Change” will work to ensure that women throughout Nepal can raise their voices, work together, and support each other in making the changes they want to see in their country.

The coalition’s first public event was on International Women’s Day, March 8, when the group marched under the banner of WomenAct for the first time. They carried placards depicting their vision of a constitution for gender equality and justice at every level of women's lives.

These women marched to bring attention to the need for a constitution that prohibits discrimination on the grounds of sex, gender, age, and marital status; provides for women’s participation and voice in decision making through state reservations, gender policies and programs; prioritizes women’s dignity and security; and respects their rights to life, health and well being.

Over the next few months, WomenAct will continue to advocate for changes in the new constitution to meet the needs of women.

They will use radio programs designed to keep women and girls informed and involved on the emerging constitution process. The programs will encourage women from every part of the country to participate in the process.

CEDPA’s work in Nepal is grounded in the organization’s dedication to assuring women’s greater participation in governance. For over 30 years, CEDPA’s governance programs have registered new women voters, raised women’s voices within peace efforts, mobilized advocates for better public policy and increased women’s political participation.

From:http://www.cedpa.org/content/news/detail/1931