Training on Gender
Mainstreaming for Government
Officers
22 June-25 July, 2009

Babu Ram Gautam
Under Secretary
Ministry of Local development
Government of Nepal
Email:brgautam2004@yahoo.com
Website: www.mld.gov.np

1

COUNTRY :MINISTRY :NEPALMINISTRY OF
LOCAL DEVELOPMENTDESIGNATION : UNDERSECRETARYNAME : Babu Ram GAUTAM

2

3

Kathmandu City from Swayambhu

4Country Report: First PartLocation• Nepal is situated between
India and China• Land-lucked country.

Area• 1,47181 Sq. Km.
• 77% of land is covered withsnow, rocks, barren
mountains and sloppy Hills• 23% of land is Plain andarable.
• Earth quake pronge zone
• More than 92 languages arespoken .
5

Topography and Climate
1.3.1 Temperature and Altitude
EcologicalRegion

Area
Covered

Altitude

Temp.

Himalayan

15%4877 m-8848 m

Hill

68%

600m- 4877m

Below freezing point 120C
20C- 270C

Terai

17%

70m- 600m

70C- 400C

 Mt. Everest - 8848 m and 8
highest peaks out of 14 of the world Kechana Kalan -70 m
Kathmandu -1300 m

6

Mount EverestReligion
S.N.

Religion

National Census
196119711981

1991

2001

1

Hindu

87.69

89.39

89.50

86.51

80.61

2Buddhist

9.25

7.50

5.32

7.78

10.74

3

Islam

2.98

3.04

2.66

3.53

4.20

4

Kirat

-

1.72

3.60

5

Christian-

6

Jain

7

Other

8

Unidentified

-

0.01
-

0.02

0.03

0.17

0.45

0.05

0.06

0.04

0.02

2.43

0.14

0.38

0.10

-

100.00?

100.00

0.06

Total

-

100.00--100.00100.00Source: Central Bureau of Statistics

8

General Description• National Language : Nepali• Population : About 232 million,
85.8% living in rural and 14.2%
in urban area (census 2001)• Per Capita Income : US$ 370• Life Expectancy : 61 Yrs• Literacy : 53.74%( census 2001)• Population Growth Rate: 2.25%• People Living Below Poverty Line:31+%

9

History• King Prithvi Narayan Shah
unified Nepal• 104 years of Rana Regime• Democracy at 1951
• Panchayat System 1962 (Local
Panchayats as LocalAuthorities)

10

History• Restoration ofDemocracy 1990
• Second people’s
movement 2007
• Federal Democratic
Republic in 2008 May

11The Interim constitution of Nepal 2007
• Product of 2nd people’s
movement• Power from King topolitical parties• Seven parties' alliancebut now 25 parties• (Constituentassembly)CA Election
601 members in CA• Women CA members
are 32.2% .
• New constitution will
be made by June２01012Administrative Division and Local Bodies••••

5 Development Regions
Local bodies(LBs)- District Development Committees(DDCs),Municipalities(Muni..) and Village Development
Committees(VDCs)
DDCs-75,Municipalities-58 and VDCs 3915
VDC (9 wards), MUN(9-35 wards), DDC (9-17 Ilakas)

13

Country Report: Second Part•••••••••

Policy and Legal Provisions onGender Mainstreaming.
Institutional Mechanism
Programs and Projects.
Organizational Chart
Job Description of my Position.
Major Issues.
Three Major Challenges
Useful knowledge and skills gained
through the seminar.
Action Plan on mainstreaming
gender in Nepal.

14

Policy and Legal Provisions on Gender
Mainstreaming•••

Government of Nepal is committed to gender mainstreaming and equitabledevelopment as envisaged in international conventions, treaties anddeclarations.
Since the inception of the Sixth Plan (1980-85), the Government of Nepal has
focused its efforts on the development of women.
The subsequent plans have also focused on the issues of womenempowerment, gender equality and equity. Together with the relevant reforms
on acts and policies to conform to the government's commitment to theimplementation of provisions for women development, women empowerment
and gender related conventions and declarations of the United Nations, aswell as provisions of South Asian Association for RegionalCooperation(SAARC).

15

Policy and Legal Provisions …….
•••••

The Interim Constitution of Nepal is main document to ensure the rights ofwomen and it is ensured that at least 33 percent seats are reserved for womenof all levels of posts .
Recently published Reservation Act has also ensured the posts for women inpolitical field as well as Civil Service, Police and Army.
The vision of Interim Plan is to build a just, gender inclusive
and equitable country by ensuring the fundamental and equal rights of women.
The objective of Interim Plan is to build an equitable and gender inclusive
society by ensuring equal rights of women of all castes, creed and regions inthe social, political and economic aspects of national development
Local Self Governance Act 1999 and Local Self Governance Rules 2000
are basic laws in which the women s’ participation in development process isensured in local level projects. At least 30 percent of total number of usergroup members should be women while implementing the projects in VDCs,Municipalities and DDCs.
According to LSGA some seats are reserved for women in Boards andCouncils of VDCs, Municipalities and DDCs.
16

Policy and Legal Provisions….
•••

VDC Grant Operation Guidelines, Social Protection Programme
Guidelines Minimum Condition and Performance Measures Guidelines
are also gender friendly policies which are being implemented byGovernment of Nepal.
According to VDC Grant Operation guidelines, at least 15 percent of
total budget must be spent for women and disadvantaged groups , thereis open space to spend more budget of VDC Grant as per the decision
of VDC Council.
Local Bodies Gender Budget Audit Guideline 2008 has been publishedrecently and it has given the direction and indicators in this regard.

17Institutional Mechanism Gender Mainstreaming••••••••••••

Committee for women rights in Constituent Assembly.
National Planning Commission.
Women Development Commission.
Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (lead ministry)
Ministry of Local Development.
Different divisions, sections in Ministries.
Provision focal Points/persons in different Ministries and departments.
Department of Women Development.
75 women development offices in 75 districts and some units .
Local Governments: 75 District Development Committees, 58 Municipalities and 3915
Village Development Committees.
Government of Japan/JICA ,United Nationas Agencies, World Bank , Asian Development
Bank, other bilateral and multilateral donors and NGOs working for the gender equality
movement in Nepal.
Designated focal persons in different ministries and departments are assisting to implement
and monitor the women development programs at central level.
18

Programs and Projects•••••••

National Work Plan based on Beijing Declaration.
Various targeted programs regarding women rights and gender equality, all are based on
the national work plans and in line with the commitments of the government.
75 Women Development Offices are implementing the projects . Government of Nepal(GoN) allocates regular budget annually for the activities.
NGOs are also launching the programs to enhance the capacity of women of all castes andethnicities at local level through social mobilization process.
Gender analysis and audit have been carried out for some line ministries' programs. In theplanning and execution of local development, women's participation has been mademandatory.
GEMSIP (Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion Project ) funded by JICA has been
started .
GEMSIP: Jointly Implementation by Ministry of Local development and Ministry ofWomen ,Children and Social welfare

19Organizational Chart20

Job Description
••

•
•
•
••
•
•

Work as a chief of Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESISection) section in Ministry of Local Development.
Enhancing Gender Mainstreaming and Social Inclusion (GM/SI)
understanding in the Ministry of Local Development, Different
Ministries, DDCs, Municipalities and VDCs.
Conduct meetings, facilitate to implement the activities of GESIWork as a focal person of GEMSIP project on behalf of Ministry ofLocal Development.
Conducting GM/SI appraisal and audit in particular programs andareas
Assist the DDCs, Municipalities and VDCs for formulating GM/SI
responsive development plan
Conducting GM/SI monitoring
Assist and Guide for developing “GM/SI operational manual”
Making the functioning GM/SI networking among Government andDonor Agencies etc.

21

Three Major Issues Regarding Gender• Women are performing the reproductive
role: Women’s involvement in householdbusiness like cooking and looking after thechildren.
• Gender based discrimination: Inequality
between men and women and gender
discrimination prevails in the society fromfamily to the national level.
• Socio-cultural based discrimination like
Chaupadi superstitious believes.

22Three Major Challenges• Women trafficking still exists.
• Feminization of poverty( women headed families are poorer).
• Use of women labor for income generating activities is not yeta reality.

23

Useful knowledge and skills gained throughthe seminar•••••••••

Concept on gender mainstreaming .
Situation of women through discussion and presentation by lecturers.
United Nations System, Economic and Social Council(ECOSOC),
International conventions and forums
Gender Mainstreaming policies in Japan
Gender statistics in Japan.
Reproductive health and gender.
Gender mainstreaming in different fields health, labor, welfare
administration, education, environment, agriculture etc.
Practical experiences through field visits.
Contribution of Kitakyushu Forum of Asian Women (KFAW) in
Gender Mainstreaming.

24

Action Plan on mainstreaming gender in Nepal• Title of Action Plan: Capacity Development of Women’s Groups
on Gender mainstreaming in Gender Mainstreaming and Social
Inclusion Project (GEMSIP) Districts ( Morang and Syanja)• Objective : Capacity of women’s group is enhanced forgender mainstreaming.
• Activities Conduct training needs assessment
 Development of training manual Trainings in following topics¾¾¾

International Convention for Elimination of All Kinds ofDiscrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and international
conventions , treaties and instruments.
Gender Mainstreaming Policies in Japan and Nepal
Situation of women in world and Nepal.
25

Action Plan on mainstreaming gender in Nepal
Activities conti…..
¾Duties and responsibilities of different ministries, commissions and department
and local governments regarding gender mainstreaming in Nepal.
¾ Gender budgeting and auditing in selected programs¾ Gender statistics¾ Reproductive health¾ Gender responsive plan formulation at central and local level.
¾ Gender mainstreaming in politics, labor, health, local development, civil service etc.
¾ Monitoring and evaluation .
•Expected outcomes : Access and control to Resources and decision
making of women is enhanced.
26