Kathmandu, 7 March: Nepal is set to present a report covering 12 areas of concern at the Beijing+30 Review to be organized by the United Nations in New York, USA. It is said that the review program will be held from March 10 to 25.
The report prepared by the National Network for Beijing Review Nepal (NNBN) and the Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD) on behalf of civil society will be presented in New York. At a program organized on Thursday to provide information about the report to be presented at the Beijing+30 Review, the forum’s advocate Binu Lama informed about the contents of the report. A video message was presented at the program on how the report was prepared.
The report has identified 12 agendas and divided them into four parts. The eighty-two-page report covers areas of concern such as women and education, women and the economy, women’s human rights, women and poverty, women and health, power structures, women in decision-making processes, women and communication, women and the environment, institutional structures for women’s advancement, women and armed conflict, violence against women and girls.
Participants mentioned that the human rights of sex workers and migrant women were left out of the report. The forum’s executive director, Advocate Sabin Shrestha, said that everything was covered in the review report. He said that the Beijing+30 review would be an opportunity to strengthen the implementation of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda and other global gender equality commitments.
At the program, former Minister of Land Management, Cooperatives and Poverty Alleviation Shashi Shrestha said that it would be more powerful if policymakers at the political level were involved in preparing the report. He requested that the discussions and debates that are to be held should be limited to Nepal. He urged not to go abroad and blow up Nepal’s flag. “We are the ones who can solve our problems, others will not, so we should discuss our problems among ourselves,” said Leader Shrestha.
At the program, senior advocate and chairperson of the NGO Network, Prof. Dr. Shashi Adhikari, said that the report to be presented on behalf of civil society covers many things. He said that the problem lies in the amendment of the act since the constitution itself discriminates against women.
United Nations Representative Patricia Fernandez said that Nepal has made significant progress against violence against women. She said that the report to be submitted in the Beijing+30 review will make a significant contribution to women’s empowerment. Stating that there are still opportunities and challenges in the field of women’s rights in Nepal, Fernandez said, “The United Nations will work together in the field of women.”
Bandana Rana, a member of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), said that the fight against sex and violence has passed many stages. She said that the main problem today is the low participation of women in decision-making levels. Rana emphasized that economic empowerment based on human rights is the need of the day.
The United Nations organizes a review program every five years. This is the 69th session of the review. At the event, Senior Advocate Meera Dhungana said that the Beijing+30 Review will provide an opportunity to engage with advocates for gender equality and draw the attention of governments and society to the problems of those who are still disadvantaged.
