The Women and Constitution Building Initiative in Nepal was initiated (June 2008) in the spirit of a newly-formed Constitution Assembly (CA) which saw the election of a high percentage of women. International IDEA, together with its partners, identified a need for a greater understanding of how a constitution affects women’s lives and how women can contribute to the process of making a new constitution. Strategies were needed to support the creation of an inclusive political environment in a crucial period of Nepal’s history.
The initiative aims at: (1) Developing knowledge resources to support a gender inclusive process and a gender sensitive constitution, (2) Establish a connection with international experts (cross-party and across all age groups) and, (3) Facilitate dialogue between key stakeholders working on constitution building with a gender perspective.
A Gender Folder: Toolkit for Constituent Assembly members creates the core of International IDEA’s Women and Constitution Building Initiative in Nepal and will disseminate discussion papers throughout the constitution making process with the aim of highlighting significant issues related to the constitution from a gender perspective. The discussion paper topics are identified by a national group of experts. These focus on the following topics: agenda setting, rules of procedure and public participation.
Expert groups are established at the national level with the ability to draw on international expertise. The member represents CA members, political parties, lawyers, civil society and academicians. These groups both draw on and inform International IDEA’s gender work.
The national expert groups also conduct round tables and seminars which meet the immediate needs by addressing ‘hot’ topics that arise in the process of making a new constitution. The round tables and seminars are hosted by national and international experts and invite professionals working in this field to participate.
The initiative will be conducted throughout the entire constitution building process in Nepal (2008-2010) and will be implemented in collaboration with international and national partners. The International IDEA project in Nepal is supported by the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the British Government.
For more information about the Women and Constitution Building Initiative, contact:
Cecilia Bylesjö
Gender Adviser
International IDEA
Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977 1 55 35 252
Email: c.bylesjo@idea.int
Leena Rikkilä
Programme Manager
International IDEA
Kathmandu, Nepal
Phone: +977 1 55 35 252
Email: l.rikkila@idea.int
