Nepali women participate more fully

The Constituent Assembly Women’s Caucus in Nepal has been actively working to ensure that women’s issues become entrenched across all avenues of the Constituent Assembly’s work. To this end, the caucus recently held workshops on the electoral system and quota provisions, federalism and state restructuring, and inclusion and human rights.

The initial discussions on 8 February 2010 were followed up by an examination of citizenship rights, using a gender quota in the electoral system, equal representation of women and men in state institutions and employing affirmative action to provide opportunities for women to participate more fully in public and political life. The meeting agreed to translate the results of its discussions in to a written plan of action to the Constitutional Committee.

Since 2009 Nepal has been undertaking a constitution building process: 601 members of the Constituent Assembly (CA) were elected to produce a new constitution. Of these, 197 or 33 per cent are women. Inclusion, equal representation and sovereignty underpin much of the constitutional debate. CA members also represent different geographical regions, castes, ethnic groups, religions and are each advocating for the rights of their own constituencies.

The process has so far reached a stage where the 11 thematic committees of the CA have submitted an initial draft concept paper addressing the concerns of their own area. Committee coverage is wide ranging and include the following: Constitutional Committee; Committee on Preservation of the National Interest; Committee for Determining the Form of the Legislative Body; Committee for Determining the Basis for Cultural and Social Solidarity; Committee on the Distribution of Natural Resources, Financial Rights and Revenues; Committee for Determining the Structure of Constitutional Bodies; Committee on the Judicial System; Committee for Determining the Form of Governance of State; Committee for Restructuring the State and Distribution of the State Power; Committee for the Protection of the Rights of Minorities and Marginalized Communities; Committee on Fundamental Rights and Directive Principles. The Constitutional Committee is currently working to develop and finalize the first draft of the constitution that will be submitted to the CA and presented to the people.

International IDEA has been working hard to raise awareness and interest in the issue of the equal participation of women in building Nepal’s new constitution and is supporting the Women’s Caucus.