Government and World Bank launch $4.6 million project to strengthen response to gender-based violence

The Institutionalising Gender-Based Violence Response in Federal Nepal Project was jointly launched today by the minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Bhagbati Chaudhary and World Bank country director for Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka Faris Hadad-Zervos.

The three-year project will help increase women’s and girls’ access to multisectoral gender-based violence (GBV) response services such as legal aid, psychosocial counseling, and medical support in six municipalities in Koshi and Lumbini provinces, a press note issued by the World Bank reads, adding that it aims to benefit 49,000 women and girls who have experienced violence through better access to quality services.

“Addressing gender-based violence is a priority for the government of Nepal," minister of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens Bhagbati Chaudhary said, adding that the project will help establish a functioning coordination system to link GBV response mechanisms at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels.

The project is financed by a $4.6 million grant from the State and Peacebuilding Trust Fund and will be implemented by the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.

The project will help strengthen institutional frameworks and capacity, pilot innovative GBV service models with a focus on improving service coverage and quality, and promote behavior change among first responders and local stakeholders for improved GBV response.

“This project will help empower women and girls to readily access GBV services, report violence, and seek help, especially in the most remote and hard to reach areas," World Bank country director Faris Hadad-Zervos said, adding that it is key to supporting Nepal’s development that is green, resilient, and inclusive.

The government and the World Bank signed the financing agreements for the project on April 24, 2024.

Nepal to receive $200 million concessional loan from ADB

Nepal and Asian Development Bank (ADB) today signed a concessional loan agreement amounting to $200 million (equivalent to Rs 26.51 billion) for supporting the first five years of the School Education Sector Plan (SESP-2022–2030) and a grant agreement of $12 million to implement the Strengthening Systems to Protect and Uplift Women Project.

According to a press note issued by the Finance Ministry, the project will benefit survivors of gender-based violence (GBV) across Madhesh, Lumbini, and Sudurpaschchim provinces through the establishment of long-term rehabilitation centers, development of survivor-friendly facilities for the Women, Children and Senior Citizen Service Centers within selected district and area police offices and strengthening of survivor-friendly services in these provinces. "The project will also build a new national long-term rehabilitation center in Bhaktapur," it adds.

Joint secretary at the ministry Ishwori Prasad Aryal, and ADB Officer-in-Charge for Nepal Saugata Dasgupta signed the agreements on behalf of their respective institutions. The proposed assistance is expected to support the implementation of the government’s School Education Sector Plan in a sector-wide approach supported by eight development partners, including ADB under the Joint Financing Arrangement.

“The programme will enhance learning provisions for basic and secondary schools, strengthen teaching and learning skills in schools, accelerate the recovery from learning losses caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, and improve the capacity of local governments in education planning, monitoring and reporting,” the press note reads.

"Nepal has done significantly in terms of improving access to education in the past decades however, much more needs to be done to further improve equity of access and the quality of education," said Aryal after signing the agreement. The programme will be crucial to operationalising Nepal’s holistic approach in improving the overall learning outcomes."

"The agreement is a key part of ADB’s overall efforts to help Nepal accelerate reforms and transform the country’s education system to develop human capital, reduce social inequity, and attain sustainable growth," Dasgupta is quoted as saying, "The plan is designed towards eliminating inequities in access and participation in school education, and improving quality and resilience of school education."

Phase II of landmark project, to prevent gender-based violence, launched

 In coordination with the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens (MoWCSC) and relevant provincial and local authorities, the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) today launched the second phase of a project that seeks to reduce gender-based violence and discrimination against women and girls in two provinces.

The Gender-based Violence (GBV) Prevention and Response Project Phase II is supported by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation SDC and the Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu. 

The project will provide GBV survivors in 19 municipalities across 8 districts in Sudurpaschim and Province 1 with essential services that support their safety, health and access to justice, according to a press note issued by the UNFPA. “It will empower communities to challenge beliefs and practices that encourage GBV, and support local and provincial governments in the project-supported locations and the federal government to promote policy reforms that will improve women's empowerment,” it reads, adding that the project aims to reach almost 300,000 beneficiaries over the next four years.

“Phase II of the project comes at a critical period in Nepal when the Covid-19 pandemic has worsened gender inequalities and GBV,” MoWCSC secretary Yam Kumari Khatiwada said, adding that the government is pleased that the project builds on the successful experiences of Phase I, which demonstrated the importance of strong coordination among all actors on the ground as well as how effective response interventions can be made sustainable.

Ending GBV and harmful practices against women and girls is critical to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). “GBV is a genuine crisis in Nepal and globally,” the press note reads, adding that it undermines the health, dignity, security and autonomy of its victims, yet it remains shrouded in a culture of silence. “Phase I gave us a lot of hope and encouragement that change is possible with sustained support,” said UNFPA country representative in Nepal Lubna Baqi.

Violence against women and girls, be it emotional, physical, sexual or financial is borne from deeply-rooted discriminatory practices that value men and boys and normalize violence against women and girls. “Promoting gender equality and non-discrimination is one of Switzerland’s key priorities and therefore we are keen to support this project which will work with men, women, boys and girls to address such negative social beliefs and unjust practices,” noted Chargé d’affaires of the Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal Silvana Hogg.

Nepal has made significant strides towards ensuring gender equality and ending gender-based discrimination and violence through policy and legislative measures. However, more still needs to be done to put the provisions of these legal instruments into reality on the ground. “Advancing women's rights and gender equality is an important priority for the Government of Norway,” ambassador of the Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu Lasse Bjørn Johannessen, said adding that violence against women can never be accepted, never excused, never tolerated.