Empowered women, prosperous Nepal

The Government of Nepal, the Delegation of the European Union in Nepal and the United Nations have launched a four-year joint programme to advance gender equality and contribute to the empowerment of women and girls to realize the national vision of a prosperous and happy Nepal (vision 2030).

Titled “Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal” (Shashakta Mahila, Sambridhha Nepal), the programme seeks to strengthen equal rights and opportunities for women and men by engaging with men and boys, families, and communities to exhibit more gender-equitable behaviors, as well as support for positive social and gender norms that promote Gender Equality and Women's Empowerment (GEWE), resulting in increased agency and voice of women and girls.

The programme also aims to address the formal and informal barriers to development that women and girls face in Nepal, acknowledging the intersecting vulnerabilities, formal and informal forces that combine to leave half of Nepal's vital forces behind and ensure that women, men, girls, and boys, in all their diversity, have equal access to economic, labor, and social rights.

With a total budget of US$19.5 million, the programme will be jointly implemented by four UN agencies (ILO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UN Women), in the Madhesh, Karnali and Sudurpaschim Provinces from 2023 to 2026 in collaboration with federal, provincial and local governments. The programme has been designed following an in-depth situation analysis and extensive consultations with wide range of government bodies, civil society organizations and other stakeholders.