NEPAL: GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAN ON WOMEN POSITIVE,

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 KATHMANDU 000488

SIPDIS

DEPT PLEASE PASS TO USAID, ALSO FOR SA/INS, DRL, G/TIP
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NSC FOR MILLARD

E.O. 12958: N/A
TAGS: KWMN PGOV PHUM NP
SUBJECT: NEPAL: GOVERNMENT ACTION PLAN ON WOMEN POSITIVE,
BUT NOT ACHIEVABLE



1. Summary. On March 8, the Government of Nepal unveiled its
National Plan on Women designed to bring Nepal into
compliance with the U.N. Convention on the Elimination of All
Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). The plan
mandates the government to amend discriminatory laws and
regulations, increase women's participation in elections,
civil service and other public activities, and promote
women's health and education. However, an official at the
government ministry responsible for the plan is concerned
that the ministry lacks the resources to implement the plan
successfully. Likewise, civil society is skeptical of the
government's ability to achieve true social reform. End
Summary.


2. On March 8, International Women's Day, the Government of
Nepal (GON) released a National Plan on Women outlining
actions the government will take over the next 3 years to
promote the status of women in government service, public
activities, health and education. The plan is designed to
bring Nepal into compliance with the Convention on the
Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women
(CEDAW) and identifies the Ministry of Women, Children and
Social Welfare as the lead implementing agency.


3. According to the plan, the GON will eliminate all
gender-based discriminatory laws and regulations within 3
years. Joint Secretary S.S. Sharma of the Ministry of Women,
Children, and Social Welfare (MWCSW) noted that some progress
has already been achieved in this area. A comprehensive
study was conducted on legal instruments and, as a result,
MWCSW has proposed amendments to 40 government regulations
and 154 clauses within various national laws that would
eliminate gender-based discrimination, he said. Sharma
indicated that he was working with the Attorney General's
Office on this issue, but progress would necessarily be
limited due to the absence of parliament. The national plan
also mandates that 33 percent of candidates in national and
local elections should be women and 20 percent of civil
service positions should be filled with women. Sharma stated
that the government already has initiated classes for women
to prepare for the civil service examination. The plan also
seeks to increase female participation to 33 percent in
public activities, such as local development boards and
government workshops.


4. Sharma also expressed concern about the ability of his
ministry to implement the national plan. Sharma indicated
that the Ministry would be hard pressed to implement the plan
with the limited resources allocated to it by the government.
The National Plan on Women, he said, is only one of 7 plans
that have been adopted or are in the pipeline for which MWCSW
has significant responsibilities. Moreover, he expects the
ministry's budget of NRs 190 million (roughly USD 2.5
million, or .2 percent of the national budget) to be reduced
even further in the next fiscal year. With only 25
professional staff in Kathmandu and 75 Women Development
officers around the country, Sharma did not know how his
Ministry would implement the plan successfully.


5. Nepali civil society has reacted positively, although with
a certain amount of skepticism. Sapana Pradhan-Malla,
President of the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD),
explained that preparations for the National Plan on Women
began in 1999 but stalled after the Parliament was dissolved
in May 2002. (Note. Pradhan-Malla had been hired by UNDP as
a consultant to assist in developing the national plan and,
therefore, was closely involved in the process. End Note.)
Pradhan-Malla was disappointed and surprised that the GON
issued the plan without further consultation. She criticized
the government for failing to include comments from the
January CEDAW Conference in New York, for which Pradhan-Malla
had authored Nepal's Shadow Report. The plan also fails to
address critical issues that would affect implementation,
such as the absence of a sitting parliament and the ongoing
insurgency, she added. Concerned that the plan is not
achievable within the time frame Pradhan-Malla opined that
the GON should incorporate all related action plans -- the
draft Human Rights Plan of Action, Beijing Plan of Action,
the Tenth Plan and the National Plan on Trafficking in
Persons -- within a single, achievable framework that can be
monitored by civil society.


6. Comment. By promoting and advancing the status of women
in Nepal, the GON is attempting to address some of the root
causes of the insurgency. Even if the plan is implemented
slowly, the principles and ideals it contains provide a
positive and constructive vision for the future. End Comment.
MALINOWSKI