The Government of Finland commits 4.5 million EUROS (NPR 644 million) to advance gender equality and women’s empowerment in Nepal through UN Women

[PRESS RELEASE]

 

(from left) Navanita Sinha, Head of Office a.i. UN Women and H.E. Riina-Riikka Heikka, Ambassador of Finland to Nepal (right). Photo: UN Women/Subeksha Poudel

Kathmandu, Nepal — The Government of Finland and UN Women have entered a new agreement to collaborate and support the implementation of the Government of Nepal’s national priorities and international commitments on gender equality and women’s rights.

Renewing the long-standing partnership for equality in Nepal since 2011, the agreement will support the implementation of the UN Women’s Strategic Plan (2023-2027) with a funding commitment of 4.5 million Euros (approximately NPR 644 million), covering four years. The partnership for equality focuses on four thematic areas in line with Nepal’s new United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework:

• Sustainable, Resilient and Inclusive Economic Transformation
• Inclusive and Transformative Human Development
• Environmental Sustainability, Climate and Disaster Resilience
• Governance, Federalism, Participation and Inclusion

Across all the areas of its work, UN Women Nepal strongly emphasizes transforming gender-discriminatory social norms, eliminating harmful practices and ending gender-based violence. “Our collaboration with UN Women has been built on supporting sustainable and transformative solutions to strive for social norms change. The storytelling initiative has been a cornerstone of our cooperation. Finland is among the main donors of UN Women and is committed to working to promote gender equality systematically and broadly. Our continued support for UN Women in Nepal is an important part of this commitment.,” said H.E. Riina-Riikka Heikka.

UN Women’s partnership for equality with the Government of Nepal and Civil Society Partners has ensured gender transformative programming in Nepal. Leaving no one behind, the partnership addressed the socio-economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and the humanitarian crisis in Nepal. The partnership also provided sustainable livelihood support and leadership skills to women from excluded groups, fostering an environment for right holders to ensure social accountability and demand their rights. Furthermore, working closely with duty bearers, the partnership made significant strides to advance gender-responsive legal and policy frameworks. This included support to the Government of Nepal in formulating the National Action Plan (Phase II) on UNSCR 1325, 1820 and subsequent resolutions, with a strong focus on conflict-related sexual violence. “The partnership will be critical in resisting the challenges to gender equality and accelerating gender justice in Nepal,” said Navanita Sinha, Head of Office a.i., UN Women. UN Women is one of Finland’s long-term cooperation partners. In 2021, Finland was the largest contributor to UN Women’s core resources, with USD 18 million.