NEPAL: Key Victims Know Too Little About 'National Action Plan'

The gender audit in peace building programme conducted in 10 districts from March-May 2014 states that the victims of decade-long insurgency are the least informed people about National Action Plan 1325.

The research states that out of 45 survivors/victims who were interviewed, only 17 were informed about t National Action Plan 1325 and that the key victims were least informed about it.

With financial assistance from GIZ through Nepal Peace Trust Fund under the ‘Gender Mainstreaming in Local Peace Building Programmes', the research was conducted in 10 districts namely Acham, Parsa, Lamgunj, Bajura, Udayapur, Nawalparasi, Dolakha, Surkhet, Dang and Dhading.

The survey included over 600 people including 82 government actors at district level, over 38 women and men survivors/victims of conflict, 37 political party representatives, 50 media personnel and 109 Civil Society Organisation/Non Government Organisation representatives.

The major objective of the audit is the promotion of gender equality, both at institutions and in the processes in implementing United Nations t National Action Plan 1325 at local level.

From the findings of gender audit report, Meena Poudel, social researcher, said the national mandate of our country guarantees at least 33 per cent representation of women in every sector, but the audit found that there were only 7 to 9 per cent women in the local level including Local Peace Committees.

“Gender Focal Person at the CDO office is a good provision to help mainstream gender but they are highly stigmatised as victims/survivors and mobilised for non-NAP 1325 work,” she added.

Dipendra Nath Sharma from the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction said that access to economic opportunities makes women feel more in command thus the management of economic opportunities for women is more important.

What's NAP 1325

• National Action Plans offer a tool for governments to articulate priorities and coordinate the implementation of Security Council Resolution 1325 at national level

• NAPs serve as a guiding national policy document that is able to capture the diverse set of government bodies and stakeholders tasked with security, foreign policy, development and gender equality

• NAPs have the potential to be effective tools for realizing the implementation of the Women, Peace and Security agenda because they can mobilize different government branches and are often the result of the combined efforts of government and civil society