PRESS RELEASE
Kathmandu, February 10, 2011

On February 1,  2011 the Government of Nepal adopted its National Action Plan (NAP) on United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820. Nepal is pleased to announce it is the first country in South Asia, the second in Asia (the Philippines being the first), and the 24th country globally to adopt a NAP for UNSCR 1325.

The development of Nepal's NAP was a highly consultative and collaborative process and saw the Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction working closely with the High Level Steering Committee on UNSCR 1325. This highly regarded committee is chaired by the Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister and includes members from other line ministries, secretaries and members of civil society organizations. During the planning, drafting and development of the NAP the High Level SteeringCommittee consulted with external parties such as the UN, foreign embassies and international organizations to ensure that a fully informed NAP was adopted.


The adoption of UNSCR 1325 and 1820 come at a challenging time of post conflict transition for Nepal. The 10-year armed conflict between 1996 to 2006, deeply affected the country and women and girls still bear the brunt of the armed conflict. Many have been victims of conflict-related sexual violence. Those who have survived are still suffering from the stigma that society places on such forms of violence.

The national action plan presents the contextual framework and analysis of the peace and security situation in Nepal, as well as provides insight into the impact of conflict on Nepali women. The NAP aims to contribute to the Nepali people's overall goal of achieving sustainable peace and establishing a just society. It is structured around five pillars, each with a corresponding objective.

Pillar 1: Participation; aims to ensure participation of women at all levels of decision making, conflict transformation and peace processes.
Pillar 2: Protection and Prevention; focuses on ensuring the protection of women and girls' rights and prevention of violations of these rights in conflict and post-conflict situations.
Pillar 3: Promotion; the objective is to promote women and girls' rights and mainstream gender perspective in all aspects of conflict prevention, conflict resolution and peace building.
Pillar 4: Relief and Recovery; addresses the specific needs of and ensures participation of women and girls in the design and implementation of all relief and recovery programs.
Pillar 5: Resource Management and Monitoring and Evaluation; the objective is to institutionalize monitoring and evaluation and ensure required resources for the implementation of the National Action Plan through collaboration and coordination of all stakeholders.

Each pillar and its objective have corresponding strategic objectives, specific actions, desired results and indicators. Moreover, the national action plan identifies the actors responsible for each objective and a timeframe for each action.

The development of Nepal's NAP was approached holistically with the intention of ensuring grassroots voices were heard and included in the consultation process. A series of consultations with over 3000 women, including survivors of conflict-related violence, women's organizations, representatives of the security sector and local district authorities from across Nepal, took place. The participants contributed more than 1500 action points, which were clustered under the five pillars of the NAP. These action points address a broad range of issues that includes but are not limited to the need to support women's participation in all peace and electoral processes; representation in political parties and local peace committees; strengthening the Women and Children Service Centers within police stations; provision of legal assistance; medical services and psycho-social counseling for survivors of sexual and gender-based violence; justice, reparation and compensation for the
victims of conflicts and their families; economic assistance to conflict-affected women; and a provision of educational scholarships  to women and girls affected by conflict.

The NAP also includes the following features to ensure its effective adoption in Nepal:

  • Training and capacity building provisions for all stakeholders, which will ensure their informed and meaningful participation in its implementation, monitoring and evaluation.
  • Integration of a media outreach and communication strategy to facilitate sustained awareness-raising and increased ownership and participation.
  • Monitoring and evaluation system that uses a combination of activity, result and outcome indicators. The monitoring and evaluation system builds on the existing government structures and involves the participation of women's organizations.

The Government of Nepal and its various partners in civil society and in the international community are committed to sustain the momentum on the NAP on SCR 1325 and 1820. The most critical phase begins now - the full implementation of the NAP. Women's groups and networks in Nepal believe that the NAP reflects the aspirations and realities of Nepali people, particularly  women, and is a major step towards the achieving of sustainable peace and establishing a just society.  They look forward to continued collaboration and participatory engagement in its implementation.

For additional information on the Nepal 1325 NAP, contact: Bandana Rana.
Kathmandu, Nepal
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