United Nations in Nepal

Nepal committed to the SDGs early on, and this commitment has been reaffirmed in key policy documents, such as the current 15th Development Plan and the 25 Year Long-Term Vision 2100 that internalises the Goals. SDGs codes are assigned for all national development programmes through the Medium-Term Expenditure Framework. Further, Nepal has prepared the SDG Status and Roadmap to localize the SDG indicators with baselines and targets for 2030. Other key documents are a SDGs Needs Assessment, a Costing and Financing Strategy, and additional SDGs Localization Guidelines. Finally, Nepal has conducted a Development Finance Assessment (DFA) to provide an overview of development finance flows and institutions and policies that can align finance with national development priorities. These are the goals the UN is working on in Nepal:

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Story

20 January 2023

Cooking clean

Kalikot, Nepal: On a cold December morning in the kitchen of her home in the hilly environs of Khandachakra Municipality in Kalikot District in Nepal’s remote west, Ganga Shahi plays with her little girl Yasodha, mother and daughter bathed in the warm sunlight streaming through the window. From time to time, Ganga turns to check on the rotis she is making on the stove next to them, flipping and tossing them into a waiting basket when ready. The stove is a relatively new addition to Ganga’s kitchen. What makes it different from what she had been using before? This is an improved ‘eco-cookstove’, a device that is far more efficient, clean and time-saving than traditional stoves, and one that the 45-year-old says has made her life “a lot easier” on different fronts. “When we were using the traditional stove, we needed much more firewood,” Ganga says, describing the seven-hour walk it used to take to fetch just one load or ‘bhari’ of firewood – weighing between 50-60 kilograms approximately – from the nearby Khadikhola jungle, a grueling process that would have then to be repeated seven or eight times before the month ended. “It was difficult carrying all that weight home on our backs, but if we didn’t do it, we couldn’t cook.” Now, however, those trips have been cut down substantially. “We can manage with just around three loads per month because the new stove doesn’t need so much wood,” she says. Indeed, according to local social mobilizer Sharmila Shahi, while households needed around 13 kilograms of firewood per day on average, the consumption with the eco-cookstove is significantly low, at an average of 2.5 kilos per day. Ganga has also noted positive effects on her health. “Before, when I stayed in the kitchen too long when cooking, my eyes would get sore, I would struggle to breathe properly and my head would start to hurt because of all the smoke,” she says. A few times, the burning in her eyes and respiratory issues had compelled her to seek medical help at hospitals in the cities of Nepalgunj and Surkhet, journeys that took hours and cost money. “Since using the new stove, I haven’t had these issues,” she says. Ganga’s family is among 9,844 households that have so far received such improved eco-cookstoves as part of the Eco-Zone programme launched by UNICEF – with generous funding support from the Jersey Overseas Aid – in partnership with six municipalities in the Sudurpaschim and Karnali Provinces. Launched in 2021, the project is focused on various interventions to improve maternal and child health, as well as help prevent deforestation – by establishing green spaces in schools and health facilities – and boost livelihoods in some of the country’s most hard-to-reach areas. This includes sensitization and trainings for government officials, community leaders, health workers, educators and households on key climate, energy and environment issues, as well as on disaster risk reduction. The distribution of improved eco-cookstoves is a key part of the effort, given how heavily communities across rural Nepal rely on inefficient and smoke-emitting traditional stoves – still used by 2.8 million households, according to reports. Besides using up large amounts of firewood and contributing to deforestation, these stoves also cause indoor air pollution by emitting severe pollutants, primarily affecting women who use them daily, and the young children who are usually by their mothers’ side, and causing respiratory illnesses, among other issues. “The benefits of this project for families in the area, particularly women and children, are clear,” says Jaisi Prasad Chaulagain, Acting Chief Administrative Officer at the Khandachakra Municipality. “We feel that this has been a very effective venture.” Ganga, for one, is in full agreement with this sentiment. “I have so much more time now to care for my children, make sure they get ready for school on time, and to do other things, like tend to the vegetables in our garden,” she says. “I wish we’d had the stove sooner.” UNICEF Nepal/2022/SShrestha Source : UNICEF Nepal

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This is a photo clicked on a rural area kitchen where a girl is sitting on her mother's lap with some chapatis in front of her.

Press Release

03 December 2020

Oped : The challenges people with disabilities face

Richard Howard The year 2020 has thrown unprecedented challenges at all of us, both in Nepal and globally. The pandemic has also impacted people disproportionally. Persons with disabilities that make up 15 percent of the world population, or one billion, are among the hardest hit by Covid-19. One in every five women is likely to experience disability in her life, while one in every 10 children is living with a disability. Of the one billion population of persons with disabilities, 80 percent live in developing countries. These numbers provide a backdrop for thinking about our response to Covid-19 and how we make a dedicated effort to ensure that people with disabilities are not left behind. We must ensure their inclusion in our response and recovery efforts. Some disabilities are not visible. Chronic pain, mental illness, chronic fatigue are a few types of invisible disabilities that control people’s lives but do not show in obvious ways. These are people who are regularly told that their disabilities are not real, are made up for sympathy or only imagined and could not possibly be a real medical condition since they walk free from canes or crutches, have functioning limbs, and can seemingly move their bodies just like the rest of us. Society needs to be built so that it is accessible to everyone, including those with less visible disabilities. Nepali society, like most societies, should promote greater understanding and increased accessibility for people with disabilities, who are often treated differently or excluded from the opportunities and conversations open to others. They are pressed to navigate a world that is not built for them. Kindness, compassion and consideration are a good start to ensure that we see and support those who may struggle and suffer in normal times and in times of crisis. When this pandemic passes, the world must be a different place, and it is a chance to reimagine a society in which people with disabilities have better lives; where they do not have to fight to be seen and included, and where they are not merely an afterthought. People with disabilities should participate in our response and recovery from Covid-19 at all stages, and they should hold us accountable to deliver on our promises. On this International Day of Persons with Disabilities, I hope that we can all begin to envision a society that everyone can participate in, one that changes how we see and interact with disabilities as equal partners, particularly those with invisible disabilities. It is a chance to build back better and challenge inequalities at every step. A big step in the right direction is to break the silence, speak up and wipe away the biases held against people with disabilities, to banish the stereotypes, and slowly dissipate the stigma facing people with disabilities. These changes start with each of us making a commitment. There are myriad ways in which the world can transform to remove obstacles for people with disabilities to access the opportunities the rest have, from access to economic opportunity and healthy workspaces to accessible infrastructure and health services. Richard Howard Howard is the UN Resident Coordinator ad interim in Nepal and is the Director of ILO Nepal

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Story

12 October 2020

Young Girls in rural Nepal are choosing early marriage to escape poverty and discrimination

The zinc sheet roofs, mud huts and wooden pillars of Namuna Basti shows poverty reigns. Namuna Basti is a labyrinth of lanes with 55 closely packed housing units inhabited by impoverished Badi community- the poorest and most marginalized groups (Dalits) in Nepal who are also considered the “untouchables”. It lies just out of eyesight from the nearest bigger town in the Karnali Province. In the community, young women with children are a common sight. About 90 percent of the women from Namuna Basti are married before the age of 20, which speaks to the alarming prevalence of child marriage here. An Arial view of Namuna Basti. Child marriage in Nepal is driven by a complex web of factors., Key among them is caste-based and gender-based discrimination, especially when combined with poverty. In Nepal’s rural communities, parents often choose marriage for girls because, once married, daughters customarily leave their homes to enter into their husbands’ household and cannot financially support their parents like their sons. It leads families to prioritize education and even basic survival needs, such as food, for boys over girls, which is one of the reasons why child brides and their children are more likely to be malnourished. Due to the existence of a deeply embedded patriarchal norms and unequal power relations, Nepal has a high prevalence of deeply-rooted traditional practices such as caste-based discrimination, chhaupadi and menstrual restrictions, child marriage, dowry, and witchcraft accusation and persecution. These practices often create significant barriers to the realization of human rights, particularly for women and persons from excluded groups. Despite significant advances in legislative and policy frameworks made over the past few years, these practices continue to pervade in Nepal. In 2018, in recognition of these practices being barriers to realizing the UN’s commitments to Agenda 2030 and the principle of Leaving No One Behind, the United Nations Country Team in Nepal with the support of DCO innovation funds carried out a Perception Survey on five of the above-mentioned practices. The survey, conducted in 16 districts within Province 2, 6 and 7 covering 4,000 respondents, was led by the United Nations Resident Coordinators Office in Nepal. Rama (name changed), a 22-year-old girl from Namuna Basti was born into a Badi family. Due to poverty her parents could not afford her education. She started working in India as a full-time maid at the age of 13. She had to spend more than 12 hours a day doing household chores, and she was desperately looking for an escape from her everyday hardship. With the hope to live a better life, seven years ago, she married the person she loved at the age of 15, despite the minimum age requirement for marriage being 20 years old under the Nepali Law. Her husband was 25 Rama’s husband belonged to the so called “upper-caste” Kshetriyas (also called Chhetris). In Nepal, the influence of caste — a social order rooted in Hindu scriptures and based on an identity determined at birth — cannot be disregarded. In the perception of caste hierarchy, Brahmins and Chhetris remain at the top and Dalits, who make up almost 13.6 percent of Nepal’s population of more than 27.33 Million, are at the bottom. Due to this perceived hierarchy, discrimination based on caste remains pervasive. From the Perception Survey carried out by the UN, among the 4,000 respondents from 16 districts, 97% indicated that they have accepted the prevalence of caste-based discrimination in their locality. Following their marriage, Rama returned to Nepal with her husband and began living with her in-laws. Being a Dalit woman, Rama was at high risk of experiencing both caste- and gender-based discrimination at her husband’s house. Fortunately, however, Rama’s husband protected her and facilitated her to be accepted as a member of the family. Rama became pregnant almost immediately after her marriage. Knowing that pregnancy could be risky for Rama at her young age, her husband insisted to abort the baby. But she remained adamant and gave birth to their first child when she was just 16. Within just five years of her marriage, her life took an unexpected turn, when a tragic road accident killed her husband. Following the death of her husband, her in-laws began verbally abusing her and forced her to work endlessly. Rama left her husband’s house along with her children and began living with her mother in Namuna Basti. Rama is now a 22-year-old widow and is a sole bread winner for her family. With poverty, lack of education and discrimination based on her caste that she faces every day, giving a decent life to her children is a constant struggle. In the same Basti, Seema Badi (name changed) lives two houses apart from Rama. Seema, just like Rama, is a child bride who chose to get married on her own. She eloped with her boyfriend, who was two-class senior to her in school, when she just became a teenager. Her mother initially brought Seema back from her boyfriend’s house and asked her to focus on her education and wait until she gained some maturity. To her mother’s dismay, Seema left the house for the second time to be with her boyfriend. And what drove her to do that? “To escape from poverty, discriminatory social norms and a desire to avoid a forced marriage to a stranger” was her answer. “My mother was giving birth every other year. I had to support her either by babysitting my siblings or supporting the household chores. At school, I faced discrimination from my peers and my teachers for being a ‘Badi girl’” lamented Seema. Recalling one of the incidents in school she said, “one day a big commotion took place in my class when I accidently touched my classmate’s tiffin box. Since she belonged to the upper-caste, my teacher thrashed me in front of my peers. That very moment, I lost faith in our education system and I tore my books in front of my teacher and left the class. I never returned to the class again.” Seema, who is 21 and a mother of an 8-year-old girl, shares she is content with her present life. Her husband is working in the gulf country to make the ends meet for the family and pay for their daughter’s education. “Together Forever” says Seema with happiness as she shows the initials of her husband and daughter's name inked on her left hand. She however feels she could have achieved more had she listened to her mother and not eloped for the second time. But the societal pressure was one of the factors that constrained her from staying with her mother. “The rumor about me eloping with my boyfriend has already spread in the community. So, the only choice I had was to go back to the person I love because no one would have accepted me as a wife later,” shared Seema. Seema does not want her daughter to repeat her same mistakes. She wants to invest in her daughter’s education so that her daughter can achieve her full potential. But the growing trend of voluntary “love marriages” among teenage children in marginalized communities, often prompted by the desire to escape poverty and discrimination, scares Seema. Seema’s fear is not unfounded. The Perception Survey showed that 90% of the 4,000 respondents acknowledge that voluntary love marriage (Bhagi Bibaha) among minors is prevalent in their locality, while 19% indicated the continued prevalence of an arranged marriage (Magi Bibaha) among minors. According to UNICEF, 15 million girls are married as children globally each year and Nepal has the third highest rate of child marriage in Asia, after Bangladesh and India. The trend of young girls like Seema and Rama choosing early love marriage to cope with poverty and discrimination not only exposes them to a vicious cycle of inequality and insecurity, but also perpetuates the practice of child marriage, creating an obstacle to global development. A 19-year-old girl from Dailekh district with her two children. Child marriage is a core development and human rights issue which is directly linked with eight of the seventeen Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), which are Goals 1 (poverty), 2 (food security), 3 (health), 4 (education), 5 (gender equality), 8 (economic growth), 10 (inequality), and 16 (peace). Ending child marriage and investing more into the child’s future is therefore an indispensable responsibility of Nepal to ensure that it fully achieves the SDGs.

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Young Girls in rural Nepal are choosing early marriage to escape poverty and discrimination

Story

23 January 2023

A new frontier

Surkhet, Nepal: It was early in 2022 when Lokendra Subedi began to worry about his young son. The child – eight years old at the time – was starting to act a bit strange, showing a number of changes in his behaviour that concerned both Lokendra and wife Tika. “He was taking a lot of long breaths, not sleeping as well as he used to… he would also constantly make these ‘hmmm, hmmm, hmmm’ sounds when sitting by himself,” Lokendra, a resident of Surkhet District in the Karnali Province in western Nepal, explains. “He also seemed afraid to be alone and would try to stick close to us as much as possible.” Hoping for a solution, the family consulted pediatricians at the Karnali Provincial Hospital. However, even after a series of physical check-ups and tests, doctors couldn’t find anything wrong with him. “They checked his nose, lungs, but there was nothing there…. Physically, he was fit,” Lokendra says. That was when the couple started to wonder if the issue might have to do with their child’s mental health. Still, their next course of action was not clear, given the dearth of child mental health specialists in the area. Luckily, while the family had been deliberating their options, Lokendra learned from one of the pediatricians at the provincial hospital that there was a new service in place: a tele-mental health system. Under this initiative, a team of psychiatrists and clinical psychologists based in the Kanti Children’s Hospital in the country’s capital city, Kathmandu, provide remote mental health treatment and counselling services via telephone and video calls to caregivers of children and adolescents around the country.  This service was established with support from UNICEF in collaboration with local partner CWIN Nepal. In addition, a second unit is also in the process of being established at the Karnali Provincial Hospital in Surkhet in partnership with the provincial government, thanks to the generous support of the Rettig Group - through the Finnish Committee for UNICEF - so as to reach even more children. Thanks to this tele-mental health service, Lokendra was able to consult a child psychologist about his son’s condition, and says he felt at ease from the very first conversation. “The doctor told us that he had seen other children with similar problems, and that in many cases, it was because of the drastic disruptions that the pandemic had brought about in children’s lives and schooling,” Lokendra says. “He explained that this had led to anxiety in many children, and that that was possibly what my child was suffering as well.” A round of medication was prescribed, and Lokendra given various tips on how to help manage his son’s anxiety at home. Slowly but surely, after several months and numerous follow-up sessions through the tele-mental health system, Lokendra and Tika began to see a marked improvement in the child. “These months of treatment have really, really helped us, and my child is doing much better now,” he says. “I feel so relieved.” Crucial support Forty per cent of Nepal’s population at present consists of children and adolescents under the age of 18.  One of the key challenges for this young demographic relates to mental health – the country has one of the highest rates of suicide among adolescents in the South Asia region. Seven in 1,000 adolescents have attempted suicide in their lifetimes, and four in 100 have had suicidal thoughts, as per the national mental health survey in 2020. Despite this high prevalence, mental health issues often go unrecognized and untreated, owing to a mix of factors, including the lack of awareness, stigma and silence surrounding mental health, as well as limited availability and access to mental health services and trained providers, most of whom are concentrated in Kathmandu and a few other urban centers. “We are the only full-time mental health clinic for children and adolescents in the whole of Nepal,” says Dr. Arun Raj Kunwar, head of the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at the Kanti Children’s Hospital, and lead psychologist for the tele-mental health system. Dr. Arun explains that, in the past, people used to travel five or six days to bring their children to the hospital. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, however, and restrictions were placed on mobility, people were simply not able to come to the facility in person. “That was when we started the tele-video option, using WhatsApp, Viber, Messenger and other video calling tools that people are already familiar with.” This can have a massive impact on reducing people’s expenses, Dr. Arun says. “To come for follow ups has a lot of cost implications for families – there are the flight tickets or vehicle charges to bring multiple family members to the city, followed by accommodation and other costs. Each visit can be a big burden.” In this context, the tele-mental health system enables families who would never have been able to access mental health support services in the past a chance to do so now. “In a country like ours, where services are sparse outside Kathmandu and travel is very difficult, tele-medicine is a new frontier,” Dr. Arun says. Reaching the unreached In 2022 alone, the tele-mental health unit has fielded over 3,000 calls. In addition to working with provincial hospital management and CWIN in the setting up of these units, UNICEF has also been training health workers at the community level in Karnali Province to raise awareness in their respective areas with regard to mental health, screen cases and increase referrals to the tele-mental health system. Ishwori Poudel, nursing officer at the Mehelkuna Primary Health Care Centre in remote Surkhet, is among those health workers in the province who have participated in these sessions. She says she speaks for all her fellow health workers when she says she is keen for the second tele-mental health unit in the Karnali Provincial Hospital to come into operation closer to home. “When we come across cases of children and adolescents with mental health issues, it is difficult for us to treat them as we don’t have the necessary expertise in house, and we feel bad recommending they go to Kathmandu given the high expenses,” Ishwori says. She adds that having the tele-mental health service in Surkhet itself would make referrals a lot easier and economical. Still, Ishwori says there is a lot more to be done to battle the stigma that mires mental health. “In our community, people don’t talk openly about mental health, so we don’t get a lot of patients coming to us directly to seek help – instead we have to deduce from their words, behaviors and actions, so there is a big need to raise awareness.” On his part, Lokendra says he has been doing his best to inform his family and friends about the availability of the tele-mental health system, sharing his own experience of using it. “To be honest, I can’t really express in words just what it has meant to me…. I was under such a great deal of pressure; I didn’t know what to do. But thanks to the facility, there has been such an improvement in my son’s health,” he says. “We are very happy.” UNICEF has developed a mental health chatbot (Ma Chhu Ni) to be connected to popular messaging apps, providing users with key information and guidance on navigating mental health issues. And, in cases where personal counseling or mental health specialist services are required, it will also connect them to the psychiatrists and psychologists at the tele-mental health unit at the Karnali Provincial Hospital, also connected to the unit at the Kanti Children’s Hospital. The content for this chatbot has been co-designed with a group of adolescents. Source : UNCEF Nepal

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Tika Subedi and her son look at a laptop in their home in Surkhet District in western Nepal.

Story

15 June 2022

Appraise migrants’ contribution to their home country’s development

Surendra Bal, aged 48, is now a successful hotelier in Nepal. After working for about eight years in the hospitality sector in Japan and South Korea, he decided to use his remittances and skills gained abroad to establish a Guest House in Bhojpur district of Province 1, Nepal. Mr. Bal offers different services to make his business more attractive, such as the use of self-farmed organic products for authentic Nepalese cuisine for which the guest house is known and providing venues for workshops and seminars to customers, making his business more lucrative. “Since most of the ingredients for my kitchen come from my own farm, I do not have to rely on external sources. Because of this, I am able to serve organic meals to my guests and provide employment opportunities for my neighbours,” says Mr. Bal proudly. For Jitendra Bastola, the decision against remigration was made once he returned from Saudi Arabia in 2014. The 37 years old started dragon-fruit farming with 400 plants recently at his home district of Dhankuta, in Province 1. He was looking to do something new beyond traditional farming. One day, he came across an informative video about dragon-fruit farming on social media, and a few more researches followed. Then he came to the conclusion that he would go with it. He was able to expand his initial plan of farming once he received reintegration support from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) under its sustainable reintegration programme for returnee migrants. Anusha Ghising Tamang, 24 years of age, who hails from Dolakha district of Bagmati province, is currently working in a company in Saudi Arabia. She has been able to support her parents back home. “It feels great when you can buy things with your own money rather than relying on somebody else even for small matters. Since I earn, I can make my own decisions,” says Ms. Ghising. Foreign employment has been a common livelihood strategy for Nepalese households over the last 30 years. According to the Migration Profile of the country 2019, almost half of all Nepalis households have at least one migrant family member currently abroad or living in Nepal as a returnee migrant. Despite the depletion in the stock of outbound migrants since 2020 and slow resumption in 2021, remittance inflows claimed the largest share once again in South Asia, reaching 24 percent of GDP in 2021 (World Bank 2022). Nepalese diaspora has also been playing an important role in support of their country in times of need—for instance, in response to Nepal Earthquake in 2015 and during the COVID-19 pandemic. In May 2021, when the country was being seriously affected by a second wave of COVID-19 virus in the country, Nepalis living abroad, such as in the Gulf region, Europe, and other parts of the world, mobilized to fundraise and swiftly send to Nepal the much-needed oxygen cylinders to save lives of their country people. The mounting importance of human mobility globally and its impact is reflected in the Sustainable Development Goals, which have recognized migration and remittances’ critical role in sustainable development and reducing inequality. However, further efforts should be made to enhance the skillsets of workers, incentives should be provided to increase the use of the formal channel for the transfer of remittances, and there should be better data management regarding foreign employment and remittances. At the same time, ensuring that migrants are safe and are not deprived of their human rights at every stage of the migration cycle is critical. The economic disruption created by the COVID-19 pandemic has significant impacts on the global supply chain, travel, trade and economy. Migrant workers are among the most disproportionately affected population. Nepal is no exception. The pandemic has created widespread health and safety concerns in Nepal, resulting in rapid and widespread closure of economic activities. Families of migrant workers that lost their jobs abroad could no longer rely on the remittances sent by their family members, and at a time when more jobs and businesses were lost in Nepal, the economic situation for many families was extremely challenging. During the pandemic, approximately one million Nepali migrants returned to Nepal, among which significant proportions are migrant workers, according to a study report by IOM and the Ministry of Labour, Employment and Social Security. Migrants do not only contribute with remittances and transfer of funds, but they also contribute by bringing back home new skills and education, as Surendra Bal did. “Besides learning technical skills in the hospitality sector, discipline and hard work are what I learnt in Japan,” says Surendra. Mainstreaming the social and financial capitals by which migrants contribute during their employment abroad and once they return home, in support of the national economy and their families, would help achieve sustainable development.

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A woman with a blue caps, white and blue striped t-shirt, jeans and bright pink running shoes, and a man, wearing jeans and a striped jumper, stand facing each other in a field. Between them is a dragon fruit plant, growing around a white support pole.

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Press Release

30 January 2023

International Holocaust Remembrance Day marked in Nepal

The 2023 commemoration centered around a memorial ceremony at Boudhanath Stupa where representatives of the four agencies lit 108 butter lamps in memory of the systematic, state-sponsored persecution and murder of six million Jewish children, women, and men, as well as the Roma and Sinti, the people with disabilities, LGBTIQ+ and countless others who perished during the Holocaust. On behalf of the United Nations, Ms. Elke Wisch, UNICEF Representative in Nepal reading the UN Secretary General’s statement emphasized, “As we mourn the loss of so many and so much, we also recognize that the Holocaust was not inevitable. No genocide ever is. Today and every day, let us resolve to never again remain silent in the face of evil – and to always defend the dignity and rights of all.”. The theme for this year’s Holocaust Remembrance Day is "Home and Belonging" highlighting the humanity of the victims and survivors, whose very belonging was questioned in places they previously called home. In Nepal, the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance Day focuses on paying tribute to the memory of the victims of the Holocaust and reaffirms its unwavering commitment to counter antisemitism, racism, and other forms of intolerance that may lead to group-targeted violence. Following the recitation of the memorial prayer at the ceremony, Ms Dana Fisher, Chargé d'affaires of the Embassy of Israel said, “The holocaust happened during WWII was a crime against humanity as a whole. Our message today is to promote values of tolerance, respect for others and standing up to any form of violence. Only by educating on the importance of these values, humanity will be able to prevent the reoccurrence of these atrocities and influence our world for the better.” “The Holocaust was a crime of unprecedented scale and brutality, and it is our duty to ensure that it is never forgotten. On this Holocaust Remembrance Day, we honor the victims of the Holocaust and pledge to work towards a world where such atrocities never happen again.” shared H.E Dr Thomas Prinz, German Ambassador to Nepal Speaking at the memorial ceremony on behalf of the EU Delegation to Nepal, Dr. Joelle HIVONNET, Deputy Head of Delegation, said, “On this day, may we remember that the European Union was built on the ruins of the Second World War, as a peace project, so that the Holocaust could never be repeated. May we also remember that genocides always begin with the stigmatisation of one community by hateful politicians who demonise and de-humanise some of their fellow human beings for the sake of power.” During the ceremony, in honour of the victims of the Holocaust, students of Kathmandu Pragya Kunja played “Violin of Hope” a beautiful holocaust themed music. # For Further Information contact: Simrika Sharma United Nations Information Centre, Kathmandu Email: Simrika.sharma@un.org Tel: 5523200 Ext. 1510 Notes to the editors: Holocaust Remembrance Day was established by the General Assembly of the United Nations with resolution 60/7 in 2005. It is a multifaceted annual program observed globally on 27 January in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

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Press Release

01 December 2022

16 Day of Activism Against Gender Based Violence

Violence disproportionately affects women and girls who face multiple forms of discrimination based on disability, caste, or ethnicity, limiting their access to protection, treatment, and justice. This year, on 30 November, the United Nations in Nepal and International Development Partners, marked 16 Day of Activism Against Gender Based Violence Campaign at the Dhangadi Sub-Metropolitan Office together with the Ministry of Social Development of the Sudurpaschim Province and representatives from Embassies, development partners civil society, and the women’s movement. Speaking at the event, Mr. Ganesh Singh, Acting Secretary of the Ministry of Social Development, Sudurpaschim Province, urged everyone to unite to end gender-based violence. This event served as a platform to mobilize key stakeholders to take action to prevent and respond to gender based violence against women and girls by strengthening comprehensive essential services to survivors of violence; investing in reliable data collection on GBV; increasing programming on addressing gender discriminatory norms; and strengthening protection mechanisms to prevent and eliminate violence and discrimination against women’s rights advocates/activists in line with international standards. Speaking on behalf of the United Nations in Nepal and as Co-chair of the International Development Partners Group, Elke Wisch, UNICEF Representative in Nepal, “Gender-based violence continues to undermine the rights, dignity, security and autonomy of women, girls as well as LBGTIQ+ persons particularly those from marginalized communities. Beyond violating the rights of each individual, neglecting women and girls undermines half the potential for progress, prosperity and well-being for all. It will therefore require a ‘whole of society’ effort to break down the silence and tackle the culture of acceptance to achieve zero tolerance for violence against women, girls and other marginalized community members. Representing Bilateral Development Partners and Head of Cooperation, European Union Partner’s Group Co-Chair Dr. Marco Gemmer opined “We all, including men and boys, have our roles to play as individuals and beyond our mandates. It is not enough to not be involved of the violence- we need to champion the message that we will not accept, condone or let pass any kind of violence, and it is our obligation to speak up if we observe any instead of being silent. We need to be part of the change of these norms that also hurt us, by limiting how and what we -regardless of gender- should, can and want to be.” The event, streamed live on Facebook, featured an interactive play advocating for the creation of safe spaces for survivors of violence from marginalized backgrounds whose needs are not met by existing systems. The event also featured a panel discussion featuring Sabitra Ghimire, Chair - Dalit Women Rights Forum, Sajina Pariyar - Child Club Member, Nirang Chaudhari - Sudurpaschim Samaj and Dr. Jagadish Bisht from the One Stop Crisis Management Center at the Seti Hospital in Dhangadhi, where the panelists called for greater action and resources to be committed to end the scourge of GBV in Nepal. For queries, please contact; Simrika Sharma; Tel: 9841592692 Email: simrika.sharma@un.org Subeksha Poudel; Tel: 9851109136 Email: Subeksha.poudel@unwomen.org Kenosha Kumaresan; Tel: 9801056033 Email: kumaresan@unfpa.org Editor’s Note The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is an international campaign which takes place each year. It commences on 25 November, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women, to 10 December, Human Rights Day. It was originated by activists at the first Women's Global Leadership Institute in 1991 and is coordinated each year by the Centre for Women's Global Leadership. It is used as an organizing strategy by individuals and organizations around the world to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. As a unifying theme running global activities, the UNiTE campaign has utilized the colour orange to represent a brighter future, free from violence against women and girls. For the past years, the UN Country Team (UNCT) in Nepal has been marking 16 days campaign with awareness building and advocacy campaigns across Nepal. Some of the key activities undertaken were ‘oranging’ monuments and provincial buildings, engaging audience across Nepal through films, social media, and radio campaigns.

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Press Release

01 December 2022

Equalize! Unite to end the inequalities holding back the end of AIDS

Gender inequalities and harmful gender norms are holding back the end of the AIDS pandemic. Gender based violence is increasing women’s risks of HIV infection and constraining the access of women living with HIV to life-savings services. In areas of high HIV burden, women subjected to intimate partner violence face up to a 50% higher chance of acquiring HIV. “The world will not be able to defeat AIDS while reinforcing patriarchy,” said UNAIDS Executive Director Winnie Byanyima. “We need to address the intersecting inequalities women face. In areas of high HIV burden, women subjected to intimate partner violence face up to a 50% higher chance of acquiring HIV. Across 33 countries from 2015-2021 only 41% of married women aged 15-24 could make their own decisions on sexual health. The only effective route map to ending AIDS, achieving the sustainable development goals and ensuring health, rights and shared prosperity, is a feminist route map. Women’s rights organizations and movements are already on the frontlines doing this bold work. Leaders need to support them and learn from them.” The effects of gender inequalities on women’s HIV risks are pronounced. One study showed that enabling girls to stay in school until they complete secondary education reduces their vulnerability to HIV infection by up to 50%. When this is reinforced with a package of empowerment support, girls’ risks are reduced even further. Harmful practices (stigma and discrimination, exclusion, hate speech, violence) in many communities discouraging people from seeking care. Discrimination and stigmatization against and criminalization of key populations are costing lives and preventing the world from achieving agreed AIDS targets. The recent Stigma Index 2.0 study in Nepal shows that more than 5 percent of the people living with HIV generally avoid going to local facilities to seek HIV and other related services. A survey done in 2020 showed that there has been a decline in new HIV infections among people who use drugs in Nepal. However, among other groups, including men who have sex with (MSM), transgender persons (TG) and sex workers (SW) there is a slight increase in new HIV infections. Facing an infectious virus, failure to make progress on key populations undermines the entire AIDS response. Over 68 countries worldwide continue to criminalize same sex relations—making people afraid of visiting facilities where they could receive prevention, testing and treatment services that could save their lives and break the cycle of infection. Progress in the HIV response is obstructed by punitive laws against key populations. The report shows that the AIDS response is being held back by inequalities in access to treatment between adults and children. While over three quarters of adults living with HIV are on antiretroviral therapy, just over half of children living with HIV are on the lifesaving medicine. This has had deadly consequences. In 2021, children accounted for only 4% of all people living with HIV but 15% of all AIDS-related deaths. Closing the treatment gap for children will save lives. These dangerous inequalities are undermining the AIDS response and jeopardising the health security of everyone. But this is not a counsel of despair. It is a call to action. Inequalities in health are not inevitable—countries have the power to overturn laws that criminalize and marginalize entire communities, they can challenge gender-based violence and protect children by investing in education and health. All over the world, people are mobilizing to challenge the injustices that keep people away from lifesaving HIV treatment, care and prevention services. The evidence is clear — protecting the safety and human rights of marginalized people expands access to HIV services, accelerating progress in the response to HIV by increasing the number of people on treatment, widening access to prevention tools and reducing new infections. New investments to address HIV-related inequalities are urgently needed. At a moment when international solidarity and a surge of funding is most needed, too many high-income countries are cutting back aid for global health. In 2021, funding available for HIV programmes in low- and middle-income countries was US$ 8 billion short. Increasing donor support is vital to getting the AIDS response back on track. As the new report shows, donor funding also helps catalyse domestic funding: increases in external HIV funding for countries from PEPFAR (the United States Government) and the Global Fund to fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria (GFATM) during 2018-2021 were correlated with significant increases in domestic funding from national governments. Low- and middle-income countries should no longer be kept waiting for access to health technologies. Innovations in health are global public health goods. Millions of lives are at stake. 650 000 people died of AIDS-related deaths in 2021 and there were 1.5 million new HIV infections—1 million above the 2020 target of 500 000.

Together, it is possible to end AIDS by 2030 but only if governments act now to equalize access to HIV services for everyone. Tackling inequalities will not only help the marginalised. It will help everyone.
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Press Release

13 October 2022

Anticipating and Responding to Intense and Unseasonal Climate-Driven Disasters

Unseasonal rains have hit communities in the West of Nepal and have pushed vulnerable people into humanitarian need. In an innovative approach to early warning, early humanitarian action, and disaster risk management amidst the global climate crisis, UN agencies in Nepal have acted on predictive analytics and meteorological forecast data to pre-emptively mitigate and respond to worst likely impacts on flood-affected communities in the Karnali River Basin. On 07 October, the UN Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) authorized three UN agencies to spend a total of $3.2 million to support communities ahead of peak flood impact as part of the activation of a pre-agreed anticipatory action framework. Recipients of these funds enabled the three participating agencies – the World Food Programme (WFP), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), and the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and the Empowerment of Women (UN Women) – to communicate early warning messages, distribute cash and comprehensive relief package (food and non-food items, energy saving cooking device, solar radio, clothes, and services such as legal and psycho-social counseling). In addition, essential items, such as hygiene, dignity and health kits are distributed to facilitate access to essential items and critical health and protection services, including through the deployment of emergency medical teams and rapid response teams, community psychosocial workers, gender advisors and monitoring specialist. Recognizing the specific impacts of disasters on women and marginalized groups, the allocation seeks to address a broad range of their needs across all phases of the response. The anticipatory allocation from the CERF in Nepal is the latest example of anticipatory humanitarian action. Developments in data and predictive analytics make it increasingly possible to anticipate when a disaster is about to strike and take necessary action in advance. This approach offers a potentially more dignified, swifter, and (cost-)effective way to responding to the humanitarian needs of people caught in the global climate crisis. Launched as a pilot in Nepal, the anticipatory action framework have four UN agencies – UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women, and WFP – in partnership with the Nepal Red Cross Society (NRCS) and national NGOs and in close collaboration with the federal, provincial and local authorities, who will provide collective anticipatory humanitarian action to people at risk of predicted severe monsoon flooding in Nepal. This pilot will aim to provide life-saving assistance to over 80,000 people across 23 flood prone municipalities (“palikas”). On 02 October, a high probability of severe flooding was forecast for the following weeks in the historically affected Karnali river basin in the west of the country, with likely humanitarian consequences across 6 municipalities. On 07 October, forecasts reconfirmed the severity of the projected shock, setting into motion the distribution of goods and services aimed at mitigating the humanitarian impact on the most vulnerable households ahead of peak flooding. Nepal is highly vulnerable to climate-related shocks and stresses, including monsoon flooding. In some years, flooding is more intense and surpasses the ability of communities to cope, leading to death and the destruction of infrastructure, livelihoods and homes, leading to acute and urgent humanitarian needs. Anticipating and acting before the natural disasters hit can save lives and livelihoods. Marked every 13 October, the International Day for Disaster Risk Reduction (IDDRR) in 2022 is focusing on “Target G” of the Sendai Framework: “Substantially increase the availability of and access to multi-hazard early warning systems and disaster risk information and assessments to people by 2030.” # For Further Information contact: Simrika Sharma National Information Officer UN Information Center Email: simrika.sharma@un.org Tel: 5523200 Ext. 1510

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Press Release

22 August 2022

Nepal, Bangladesh and Lao People's Democratic Republic to join the South-South Exchange on Preparing Smooth Transition Strategies: Graduating Cohort of 2021

The event is organised by the Offices of the UN Resident Coordinators, United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), the Committee for Development Policy (CDP), the United Nations Office of the High Representative for the Least Developed Countries, Landlocked Developing Countries and Small Island Developing States, and Economic and Social Affairs Commission for Asia and the Pacific, delivered through iGRAD (Sustainable Graduation Support Facility) and funded by UNDESA’s Peace Development Fund project. This initiative is part of the on-going support by the UN Development System for Nepal, Bangladesh and Lao PDR as the only three countries recommended by the CDP for graduation during the ongoing global pandemic to develop the national Smooth Transition Strategies (STS) for sustainable graduation. “The Nepal Delegation, led by Mr. Kewal Prasad Bhandari, Secretary of the National Planning Commission, Government of Nepal comprises LDC focal points across line ministries and representatives from the private sector, research institute and civil society organization. The delegation will be accompanied by the representatives from the UN Resident Coordinator Office, UNCDF, and ILO. Over the course of three days with eight technical sessions, the delegations from Nepal, Bangladesh, and Lao PDR will have various opportunities to experience and exchange views on the common gaps and challenges of graduation where particular focus and actions would be required during the development process of the STS, identify pathways to address those challenges and consolidate joint efforts to advocate for effective international support for the successful implementation of the STS. For Further Information contact: Simrika Sharma National Information Officer UN Information Center Email: simrika.sharma@un.org Tel: 5523200 Ext. 1510

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