Charter of Demands and Gender and Social Inclusion Priorities in Budget 2021/2022

The Government of Nepal has demonstrated through progressive policy measures a strong commitment to advance Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI) issues and has centre staged GESI principles in public policies and budget processes. Gender Responsive Budgeting (GRB) was endorsed as an important strategy to promote GESI principles in national plans and budgets.

On 29 May 2021 the Government of Nepal presented NPR 1.647 trillion budget for the Fiscal Year 2078/2079 (2021/2022). The budget aims to overcome the human and economic challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic and sustain the development trajectory to achieve a ‘Prosperous Nepal and Happy Nepali’. The budget has been analyzed from gender and inclusion lens by Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) with technical and funding support from UN Women. The analysis intends to enable the government, policy makers, planners, and development partners to understand the trends of Federal Budget and Gender Responsive Investments from GESI perspective.

Similarly, pre-budget consultation was organized by the NASC with members of federal parliament and relevant ministries on 21 May 2021. The consultation aimed to present the Citizen’s Charter of Demands (CoDs) and its major gender and social inclusion related recommendations for incorporation into the budget for the Fiscal Year 2078/79 (2021/2022) of the Government of Nepal. The CoDs was developed under the initiative of UN Women, in collaboration with NASC and representatives from various women’s groups.

In the CoDs, the women highlighted the issues in four sectors that must be given attention by government in the process of gender budgeting. The sectors are: (a) education and nutrition, (b) health, (c) labor, employment and social security, and (d) agriculture and allied sub-sectors. Thematic experts were involved to review and analyze the government’s actions, policies, and budget documents from gender and social inclusion perspective.