UN Joint Statement on International Women’s Day - Nepal

On the occasion of International Women’s Day we celebrate the courageous and determined women who have broken down barriers so women in their communities and countries can claim their rights and realize their full potential. We reflect on the progress achieved, and we continue our calls for further change to achieve gender justice.

We have seen some progress, including in Nepal, in committing to ending gender discrimination through such normative instruments as the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, the Beijing Platform for Action, the Programme of Action of the International Conference on Population and Development and the Millennium Declaration. These commitments now need to be followed by full implementation and increased accountability. Inequality between men and women still remains the world’s most widespread form of exclusion. In all countries it is not only a violation of human rights but also a significant barrier to sustainable development and poverty eradication. Reducing gender inequalities, as evidenced by several recent studies including the World Development Report, has a positive impact on a country’s GDP and can contribute significantly to overall poverty reduction. Equality for women is progress for all.

The Managing Director of the International Monetary Fund, Christine Lagarde, has highlighted that ‘By not letting women contribute, we end up with lower living standards for everyone’. She also states that the per capita boost of women’s participation in the labour force could be as substantial as 27 percent in the Middle East and North Africa, 23 percent in South Asia, 17 percent in Latin America, 15 percent in East Asia, 14 percent in Europe and Central Asia. The International Labor Organization finds that some 860 million women are excluded from economic activity, a number expected to rise to 1 billion in the next decade and grow, unless there are significant changes.  The World Bank points out that more than 100 countries still have laws that prevent women from playing their full economic role, that ban women from doing certain jobs, accessing finance, owning businesses or conducting legal affairs.

The principles of human rights – universality, equality and non-discrimination, participation and inclusion, and accountability – must be at core of the post-2015 development framework. Several critical gender equality issues were not covered by the Millennium Development Goals such as violence against women and girls, women’s disproportionate share of unpaid care work, women’s equal access to assets and productive resources, the gender wage gap, women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights and women’s equal participation at all levels of decision-making. Unless all dimensions of gender inequality are addressed, gender equality, women’s rights and women’s empowerment cannot be achieved. Women’s rights, women’s empowerment and gender equality are not optional where we strive for a world that is safe, inclusive and sustainable.

As we are approaching the 58^th Commission on the Status of Women next month focusing on the challenges and achievements in the implementation of the Millennium Development Goals, we now have an opportunity to reflect on building on the previous goals to address key areas: freedom from violence for women and girls, equality in human capabilities, access to opportunities and resources, reduction of maternal mortality and universal access to comprehensive, quality and integrated sexual and reproductive health information and services, and equality in agency, voice and participation across the full range of decision-making arenas in public and private institutions.

While women’s Constituent Assembly representation is lower than in the last CA, Nepal currently has a historic opportunity, through the constitution drafting process, to embed and expand gender equality provisions in the country’s fundamental governing principles. It is encouraging to see the commitment of the Government of Nepal to end gender discrimination through commitment to various international instruments, enactment of laws, policies and adoption of specific action plans. The UN in Nepal is committed to supporting Nepal in these efforts through the country’s UN Development Assistance Framework (2013-2017). 

As noted by the UN Women Executive Director, Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka, ‘[a]fter a century of progress and change, it is clear that in societies with more gender equality, democracy is stronger, economies are more developed and peace is a priority.’ Together, let us make the 21^st century the one for empowering women and girls, and achieving equality between women and men; the one which will lead to a better life for all of humanity.