UNFPA delivers 800 units of oxygen cylinders to Nepal

 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) continues its humanitarian support to Nepal’s Covid-19 pandemic response by providing additional lifesaving supplies.

The UNFPA deputy representative Dr Hashina Begum today handed over the oxygen cylinders worth Rs 11.9 million (equivalent to $100,000) to the director of Management Division under the Ministry of Health and Population (MoHP) Dr Bhim Singh Tinkari.

The support from UNFPA to Nepal was made possible under the existing South-South and Triangular Cooperation Project agreement between Nepal, China, and UNFPA, according to a press note issued by the UNFPA.

As Nepal is battling the second wave of Covid-19, the country experienced a critical shortage of oxygen. The pandemic has put enormous pressure on health facilities across the country.

"We require oxygen supplies to respond to the current emergency as well as to prepare for a possible third wave," Dr Tinkari said, adding that the support from China and UNFPA will help increase access to health facilities with functioning oxygen supplies. "We appreciate our partnership with international development partners in our collective Covid-19 response efforts."

The pandemic has taken a heavy toll on vulnerable populations including women of reproductive age, who are facing greater barriers in accessing maternal health and family planning services, resulting in an increased number of home deliveries.

"While we are providing the critical support to the Covid-19 response efforts, we must ensure continuity of reproductive health services including consistent supply of contraceptives and essential reproductive health commodities to mitigate the impact of the unprecedented pandemic on women and girls,” said UNFPA representative to Nepal Lubna Baqi.

UNFPA is working with federal, provincial, and local governments and partners to ensure that special and unique needs of women and girls of reproductive age are addressed. "Thanks to the Government of China for their timely support under the maternal health programme in providing the oxygen cylinders to save lives at this critical time,” Baqi noted.

UNFPA will continue to support the government’s Covid-19 response plans together with other UN agencies and development partners to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on progress towards the three transformative results -- ending preventable maternal deaths, ending unmet need for family planning, and ending GBV and harmful practices.

Earlier, also with funding from Government of China, UNFPA delivered over 7,000 PPE kits to MoHP to support the Nepal’s effort to prevent transmission and respond to the pandemic while ensuring continuity of life-saving SRH and GBV services for women and girls. In addition, through the hospital-based One Stop Crisis Management Centers and safe houses UNFPA delivered over 340,000 sanitary pads, supported by China, to young women and girls across the country as part of Covid-19 and monsoon emergency responses.

UNFPA and UK Government handover IT equipment to Central Bureau of Statistics for census

 The United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) handed over IT equipment today to the Central Bureau of Statistics (CBS), as the later ramps up its preparations for the 12th National Population and Housing Census (NPHC).

The first census to be conducted under the new Constitution and federal structure is going to take place in June 2021.

According to a press note issued by the UNFPA, the IT equipment, which is worth $609,873 (Rs 72 million), has been procured by UNFPA with UKaid funding and comprises of 2,250 tablets with power-banks and accessories, 35 laptops, 47 desktop computers, five mobile work-stations, one server, three high resolution printers and relevant software licenses. “It will enable CBS to produce census data that meets the highest technological standards.”

The need for high-quality and reliable population data has been underscored by the global Covid-19 pandemic, and is also essential to measure Nepal’s progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with their strong commitment of leaving no one behind. The use of innovative technology in the 2021 NPHC – including tablets in selected census enumeration areas – will ensure that CBS captures detailed data on how many people are living in the country – disaggregated to the lowest administrative level¬– and how they are living – their health and well-being, problems and prospects and socio-economic circumstances, the press note reads, adding that the 2021 NPHC data will be invaluable for policymakers and planners to understand the situation across the country, development needs and where or how to invest in everything from schools to health care to roads.

The government is committed to conduct the 2021 NPHC in line with international standards, and to ensure that the data collected are used to improve the lives and realise the rights of those who are at risk of being left behind.

“We commit to undertake the census to address the data gaps at the lowest administrative level while ensuring that the health and safety precautions of our personnel and the respondents is in compliance with government guidance,” remarked director general of CBS Nebin Lal Shrestha. The CBS is leading census operations under the guidance of the National Census Steering Committee chaired by the National Planning Commission (NPC) vice chair.

The IT equipment will strengthen the CBS’s infrastructure and capacity and complements its efforts to modernise the census operation through amulti-method approach of data collection, the press note reads, adding that UNFPA is supporting Nepal to undertake the12thNPHC, recognising that reliable and timely data is the foundation of sustainable and inclusive development in Nepal. “The census is the cornerstone of the statistical infrastructure, it provides a numerical profile of the country hence is of great value to the public and government alike.”

UNFPA is proud to offer technical and financial support to Nepal to ensure that the census is of high-quality, upholds international standards, and produces data that are widely disseminated and utilised for development gains,” said UNFPA country representative in Nepal Lubna Baqi. “The UK’s support to Nepal always aims to be based on data that is reliable and which includes everyone,” she said, adding that the census is one of the most important chances to capture data so that any number of organisations – from government through to development partners and community organisations – can direct their assistance in the best way. “In turn this will help improve the services provided to women, men, children, poor, the vulnerable and other groups of people.”

“I am pleased that the UK has been able to contribute equipment and technology in this way through our partners at UNFPA and the CBS,” development director at the British Embassy Kathmandu Lisa Honan said.

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.

Urgent, accelerated action needed to stop child marriage and son preference: UNFPA report

Every year, millions of girls are subjected to practices that harm them physically and emotionally, with the full knowledge and consent of their families, friends and communities, according to the State of World Population 2020, released today by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
At least 19 harmful practices across the world, ranging from breast ironing to virginity testing, are considered human rights violations, according to the UNFPA report, which focuses on the three most prevalent ones: female genital mutilation, child marriage, and extreme bias against daughters in favour of sons.
“Harmful practices against girls cause profound and lasting trauma, robbing them of their right to reach their full potential,” according to UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem.
Nepal has one of the highest rates of child marriage in Asia. Although the legal age of marriage for both sexes is 20, an estimated 40 per cent of Nepali girls are married before the age of 18. While child marriage rates are declining in the country, in the last five years the pace of decline has slowed down significantly. Investing in girls, giving them access to education and health services, and ensuring that they can postpone marriage and prevent early childbearing is essential for girls to have agency.
Also, the preference for sons over daughters has fueled gender-biased sex selection, reads a press note issued by the UNFPA. Nepal has an increasing sex ratio at birth imbalance from 103 male per every 100 female newborns in 2005 to 110 male newborns in 2015. This is a reflection of persistent gender discrimination that undervalues girls combined with the declining fertility rate and high level of son preference, leading to an increase in the practice of sex-selective abortion.
Nepal has ratified international treaties such as the Convention on the Rights of the Child, thus has a duty to end the harm, whether it’s inflicted on girls by family members, religious communities, health-care providers, commercial enterprises or state institutions. The government has progressive laws in place, but laws alone are not enough.
Decades of experience and research show that bottom-up, grassroots approaches are better at bringing change, the UNFPA report reads. “We must tackle the problem by tackling the root causes, especially gender-biased norms,” Dr Kanemsays said, adding that they must do a better job of supporting communities’ own efforts to understand the toll these practices are taking on girls and the benefits that accrue to the whole of society by stopping them.
Economies and the legal systems that support girls must be restructured to guarantee every woman equal opportunities, the report reads, adding that changing laws for property inheritance, for example, can eliminate a powerful incentive for families to favour sons over daughters. “Ending child marriage is possible within 10 years by scaling up efforts to keep girls in school longer and teach them life skills and to engage men and boys in social change.”
While progress has been made in ending some harmful practices worldwide, the Covid-19 pandemic threatens to reverse the gains. A recent analysis revealed that if services and programmes remain shuttered for six months, an additional 13 million girls around the world may be forced into marriage between now and 2030. “The pandemic both makes our job harder and more urgent as so many more girls are now at risk,” Dr Kanem said, adding that they will not stop until the rights, choices and bodies of all girls are fully their own.

New UNFPA projections predict calamitous impact on women’s health as Covid -19 pandemic continues

As the Covid-19 pandemic rages on, the number of women unable to access family planning, facing unintended pregnancies, gender-based violence and other harmful practices could skyrocket by millions of cases in the months ahead, according to data released today by UNFPA, the United Nations sexual and reproductive health agency.
The research reveals the enormous scale of the impact Covid-19 is having on women as health systems become overloaded, facilities close or only provide a limited set of services to women and girls, and many choose to skip important medical checkups through fear of contracting the virus. Global supply chain disruptions may also lead to significant shortages of contraceptives and gender-based violence is expected to soar as women are trapped at home for prolonged periods.
“This new data shows the catastrophic impact that Covid-19 could soon have on women and girls globally,” UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem said, adding that the pandemic is deepening inequalities, and millions more women and girls now risk losing the ability to plan their families and protect their bodies and their health. “Women’s reproductive health and rights must be safeguarded at all costs. The services must continue; the supplies must be delivered; and the vulnerable must be protected and supported.”
Some 47 million women in 114 low- and middle-income countries may not be able to access modern contraceptives and 7 million unintended pregnancies are expected to occur, if the lock down carries on for 6 months and there are major disruptions to health services. For every 3 months the lock down continues, up to an additional 2 million women may be unable to use modern contraceptives, it said, adding that some 31 million additional cases of gender-based violence can be expected to occur, if the lock down continues for at least 6 months. “For every 3 months the lock down continues, an
Additional 15 million extra cases of gender-based violence are expected.”
Likewise, due to the disruption of programmes to prevent female genital mutilation in response to Covid-19, 2 million female genital mutilation cases may occur over the next decade that
could have been averted, and Covid-19 will disrupt efforts to end child marriage, potentially resulting in an additional 13 million child marriages taking place between 2020 and 2030 that could otherwise have been averted, said the UNFPA that is working with governments and partners to prioritise the needs of women and girls of reproductive age and to respond urgently during the challenging public health emergency. “Our priorities are focusing on strengthening health systems, procuring and delivering essential supplies to protect health workers, ensuring access to sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence services, and promoting risk communication and community engagement.”
The research was conducted by UNFPA, with contributions from Avenir Health, Johns Hopkins University (USA) and Victoria University (Australia). Its projections were based upon recent UNFPA research into what will be required to achieve the organisation’s goals by 2030. For each estimate, researchers projected the direct impact of Covid-19 on the issue in question and combined it with the disruption to global prevention programmes caused by the pandemic.

Top UN official applauds Nepal’s efforts for reproductive health, women empowerment

UN under secretary general and director general of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) Dr Natalia Kanem hailed the efforts made by Nepal in the sector of safe motherhood, reproductive health, family planning, and women empowerment.
“I appreciate policies introduced and investments made in this connection,” Kanem, who is on her two-day visit to Nepal told a press conference held in Kathmandu today. “This has helped bring impactful improvements among the life of Nepali women and girls, however, a lot has yet to be done in the sector,” she said, adding that she was convinced that inclusive provisions incorporated in the Nepali constitution and laws would help in rapid growth in all the sectors.
She – during the press conference organised at UN House at Pulchowk in Lalitpur today – vowed to intensify the support in safe motherhood, reproductive health, family planning, and women violence sector. However, she didn’t disclose the nature of the aid.
The UNFPA has been regularly helping Nepal for safe motherhood, reproductive health, family planning and women violence since 1971.
“As we are observing 50th anniversary of UNFA and 25th of International Conference for Population and Development (ICPD), we are planning to launch new programmes regarding safe motherhood and family planning acknowledging the achievements we have made so far," she added.
ICPD – introduced in 1994 in Cairo of Egypt – has been approved by 179 countries including Nepal. It has now transformed its agenda to match the long-term vision of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG).
“It was my honour to meet with senior government officials including the Prime Minister, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Health, as well as the key stakeholders and partners during this trip,” she said, expressing her belief that Nepal could and would play an instrumental role at the Nairobi Summit, which marks the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo.

UNFPA executive director on first-ever official visit to Nepal to accelerate the promise of ICPD

At an especially important time in an important year for the United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem has arrived in Kathmandu on her first official visit to Nepal since her appointment two years ago. Dr Kanem is accompanied by UNFPA regional director for Asia and the Pacific Bjorn Andersson and UNFPA chief of staff Pio Smith.
This year, 2019, marks the 50th anniversary of UNFPA and the 25th anniversary of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD), held in Cairo in 1994, where 179 governments, including Nepal, unanimously articulated a bold vision regarding the relationship between population development and individual rights and choices, with women and girls at the centre of the development agenda. The landmark ICPD Programme of Action commits to universal access to sexual and reproductive health and reproductive rights for all, underpinned by women’s empowerment and gender equality within the broader framework of human rights, as a pathway to sustainable development.
The high-level two-day UNFPA visit is to recognise the significant achievements by Nepal in relation to the Cairo vision and the commitment of the government to its full implementation by 2030 and to invite the government at the highest level to participate in the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25, which will be held on November 12-14, as a champion of reproductive rights.
Since the Cairo conference, access to sexual and reproductive health services including family planning and skilled birth attendants has significantly increased in Nepal. This has resulted in reducing preventable maternal mortality by more than half to 239 per 100,000 live births. However, the pace of progress has been slower in the last decade due to a persistently high level of unmet need for family planning services and one of the highest rates of child marriage resulting in early pregnancy and childbirth in the world, among other factors.
“Nepal has made such momentous strides under the ICPD Programme of Action in the past quarter century, amid formidable challenges,” Dr Kanem noted, adding that now is the time to urgently address the unfinished business. “The Rights to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Act introduced last year is a remarkable piece of legislation that is forward- looking and will certainly help accelerate efforts to achieve the goals agreed to in Cairo, goals which will be reaffirmed and recommitted to in Nairobi next month as well.”
The Nairobi Summit on ‘ICPD25: Accelerating the Promise,’ is being co-convened by the governments of Kenya and Denmark, along with UNFPA, and will bring together heads of state, ministers, parliamentarians, civil society organisations, young people, faith-based organisations, business and community leaders, and media partners to galvanise partnerships, mobilise political and financial support, and to help foster ideas and commitments to fully realise the ICPD vision and the SDGs by 2030.
While in Nepal, the UNFPA delegation will be meeting with senior government officials, development partners, CSOs and other key stakeholders as well as UNFPA staff. “As we gear up for Nairobi, we’re gratified that Nepal and all our member states have recognised that without achieving ICPD we simply won’t achieve the SDGs that underpin the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda,” Dr Kanem said, thanking Nepal for its valuable partnership and support in working with us towards our transformative results: Zero maternal deaths, zero unmet need for family planning and zero gender-based violence and other harmful practices such as child marriage. “This is critical in fulfilling the vision of ICPD and the SDGs that of leaving no one behind.”

UN encourages members to realise ICPD goal

The links between population, development and human rights, including reproductive rights identified by 179 countries, including Nepal, at the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo 25 years ago, are still relevant, said UN officials.
On the occasion of this year’s World Population Day that calls for global attention to the unfinished business of the ICPD Programme of Action, United Nations (UN) secretary-general António Guterres said carrying forward the vision of the ICPD will unlock opportunities for those left behind and help pave the way for sustainable, equitable and inclusive development for all.
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are closely interrelated with demographic trends including population growth, ageing, migration and urbanisation, he said, issuing a statement. While managing these population trends, we must also recognise the relationship between population, development and individual well-being, the UN chief said, adding that promoting gender equality is one of the most reliable pathways to sustainable development and improved well-being of people across the globe. “In November, a summit marking the 25th anniversary of the Cairo Conference will take place in Nairobi,” Guterres added. “I encourage member states to participate and to make firm political and financial commitments to realise the programme of action of the ICPD.”
Issuing a statement, executive director of United Nations Population Fund (UNPF) Natalia Kanem said women have the right to make their own decisions about whether, when and how often to become pregnant. “That right was reaffirmed in 1994 in Cairo at the landmark ICPD, where 179 governments agreed that sexual and reproductive health is the foundation for sustainable development.”
Despite considerable gains over the past 25 years, we still have a long way to go to live up to the promise of Cairo, the UNFPA chief said, adding that too many people continue to be left behind and too many are still unable to enjoy their rights, according to UNFPA, Nepal.
“On this World Population Day, I call on governments, civil society, communities and people from all sectors and walks of life to be bold and courageous and do the needful for women and girls, to accomplish the unfinished business of Cairo,” she added.

Sports help tackle discrimination associated with disability

The international agencies have congratulated Nepal Women's Blind Cricket team for winning the first International Women’s Blind Cricket Series in Islamabad, Pakistan, on Monday.
"It gives UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, UN Women and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SADC) a great pleasure to congratulate the Nepal Women's Blind Cricket team for winning the First International Women’s Blind Cricket Series," reads a press note issued by them.
"As they return home with the trophy, we are delighted to have supported the Cricket Association of the Blind, Nepal, to play the international series and believe that these matches have helped the female blind cricketers acquire more skills, develop independence, and become empowered to act as agents of change," the press note adds.
Nepal’s successful participation in the T-20 international series between women blind cricket teams of Nepal and Pakistan, and the wide admiration both sides have drawn nationally and globally – they said – shows that sports help reduce the stigma and discrimination associated with disability by highlighting their skills and potentials.
"Sport is a platform that can change the lives of women and girls with disability by providing them with an opportunity to demonstrate their physical ability, empowering them to realise their full potential and help to reduce existing gender stereotypes,” says UN Resident Coordinator in Nepal Valerie Julliand.
Women and girls with disabilities often face multiple societal barriers and disability evokes discrimination across Nepal. "Young women with disabilities face up to 10 times more gender-based violence than those without disabilities," according to a 2018 report from UNFPA. This highlights that women with disabilities are still deprived of opportunities essential to their social development, health and well-being.
As we look to the future for the Agenda 2030, Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), we hope that persons with disabilities will have an increased access to sport and recreational activities to foster the inclusion and well-being of persons with disabilities in the society, Valerie Julliand added. "On its path to making a society free of negative perceptions associated with women with disabilities, Nepal has made notable progress lately, particularly in numerous legal reforms including the new Constitution and Human Rights for Persons with Disabilities Act 2017 that guarantee protection of the rights of persons with disabilities."
"It is the right of the people with disability to lead a normal life," ambassador of Switzerland to Nepal Elisabeth von Capeller said, adding that it is important to raise awareness about the new Disability Rights Act and communicate success stories like this to help destroy the pre-judgement towards the people with disability.
The UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities is the first legally binding international instrument to address the rights of persons with disabilities and sport. Article 30 of the Convention addresses both mainstream and disability-specific sport and stipulates that states parties shall take appropriate measures to encourage and promote the participation, to the fullest extent possible, of persons with disabilities in mainstream sporting activities at all levels.

Unchecked inequality could spur unrest: new UNFPA report warns

Unless inequality is urgently tackled and the poorest women empowered to make their own decisions about their lives, there could be unrest and threats to peace and to their development goals, according to a new report published today by the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA).
The costs of inequalities, including in sexual and reproductive health and rights, could extend to the entire global community’s goals, stated the UNFPA report – The State of the World Population 2017 – "Worlds Apart: Reproductive Health and Rights in an Age of Inequality."
Failure to provide reproductive health services, including family planning, to the poorest women can weaken economies and sabotage progress towards eliminating poverty, it further reads adding that economic inequality reinforces and is reinforced by other inequalities, including those in women’s health, where only a privileged few are able to control their fertility.
Inequality today is not only about the haves and have-nots, said UNFPA executive director Dr Natalia Kanem. "Inequality is increasingly about the cans and cannots," she said, adding that poor women, who lack the means to make their own decisions about family size or who are in poor health because of inadequate reproductive health care dominate the ranks of the cannots.
Limited access to family planning that results in unintended pregnancies and abortions does not only harm women’s health, but also restricts their ability to join or stay in the paid labour force and move towards financial independence, the report argued.
The UNFPA report also recommends focusing on the furthest behind first, in line with the United Nations blueprint for achieving sustainable development and inclusive societies by 2030. 

Fertility and mortality rates fast declining in Nepal: Report

A United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) report revealed that the fertility and mortality rates in Nepal have been fast declining in the recent years.
The average annual population growth rate in Nepal between 1961 and 2001 was 2.25 per cent, which declined to 1.35 per cent between 2001 and 2011, reads the report released on the eve of the Population Day today.
Nepal, like other the South Asian countries, has been undergoing rapid demographic changes during the last few decades. The working age population between 15 to 64 years has been increasing in Nepal.
In 1991, the working age population was 52.9 per cent of the total male population and 55.3 per cent of the female population. In 2011, the male working age population had increased to 57.9 per cent and the female working age population had increased to 61.6 per cent. The relatively lower proportion of working age men to women is likely attributed to the fact that many men leave the country for foreign jobs, according to the UNFPA report.
“The circumstances in which the average Nepali lives is still far from the targets the SDGs seek to achieve," it reads, adding, "Overall, poverty has declined but it has worsened in the high mountain region and in urban centers."
"School enrollment for girls has improved substantially but the drop-out rate is high," it further reads, adding that sexual discrimination is high among women and girls in the Tarai, among Dalit and women with no education. "Sex-selective abortion practice appears to be increasingly evident in some parts of Nepal as 12 of Nepal's 75 districts, which comprise over 25 per cent of the total population, show sex ratio at birth over 110, per 100 females."
Spatial distribution of population shows an ever declining share of the mountain and hill population compared to the Tarai population. In 1971, the proportion of the total population living in the mountain and hill regions combined was 62 per cent, this declined to 50 per cent by 2011.
It is projected that by 2031 this proportion will shrink to 47 per cent although the land mass in the mountain and hill regions is 77 per cent, the UNFPA report reads, adding that among the seven federal provinces, Province 3's share of total population is 21 per cent followed by Province 2 with 20 per cent, provinces 1 and 5 have 17 per cent each, Province 7 ten per cent and Province 4 nine per cent. "The ranking of the projected populations for the seven provinces remains the same, even until 2031, according to CBS, 2014."
As part of the formulation of its new UN Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for 2018-2022, Nepal is aspiring to graduate from the least developed country (LDC) to a middle-income country by 2030 by achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG). The National Planning Commission (NPC) has also endorsed a new three-year Development Plan, the 14th Plan (2016/17-2018/19).
Given the enormous data need required by the SDGs, Nepal is not currently in a position to produce the data and statistics required for monitoring progress in the attainment of all 17 goals and 169 targets of the 2030 Agenda adopted by the world leaders at the UN Sustainable Development Summit on September 25, 2015, it adds, projecting Nepal's demographic transition and resulting population momentum using key demographic variables for the next 15 years (2016-2030) in the context of the new federal structure of the country.
The total population of Nepal comprises of over 125 caste/ethnic groups. The largest group is Janajati (36 per cent) , followed by Chhetri/Bahun (31 per cent), Tarai castes and Dalit both (14 per cent) and the minority Muslim (4 per cent).  In four out of seven provinces, the largest group is Janajati, in two provinces it is Chhetri/Bahun and in one province it is Tarai castes.
The report 'UNFPA Nepal 2017 Population Situation Analysis of Nepal' notes the absence of a large number population estimated at around 1.92 million as of 2011 as they are outside the country for work or study. Nepal's population of 26.5 million as per the 2011 Census is projected to grow to 30.4 million by 2021 and 33.6 million by 2031.

Asian and Pacific Population conference to set population agenda for ‘Building Better Lives’

More than 400 delegates, including one heads of state, ministers, policy makers and civil society representatives from 47 countries will review–  in Bangkok this week during sixth Asian and Pacific Population Conference (APPC) – population and development challenges facing the Asia-Pacific region, including the unprecedented pace of population ageing, migration, and urbanisation and changing household and family structures.

The Conference will also tackle a range of issues critical to human rights and development, including sexual and reproductive health and rights, gender equality and women’s empowerment, HIV and AIDS, gender-based violence, and the rights of young people.

In the Asia-Pacific region, too many women still die as a result of childbirth. Lack of information on sexual and reproductive health, and limited access to related services, is contributing to unintended pregnancies and unsafe abortions. The gaps also expose millions to the risk of HIV and other sexually transmitted disease.

The five-day Conference – organised by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) in cooperation with UNFPA, the United Nations Population Fund – will be instrumental in shaping the regional population agenda for the next decade and is expected to arrive at fresh solutions to address these population and development challenges.

It is expected to adopt a Ministerial Declaration that will also serve as the Asia-Pacific regional input to the global 20-year review of the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD).
The United Nations General Assembly will convene a special session next year to recommit and advance the ICPD Programme of Action – the first United Nations framework to recognise reproductive rights and gender equality as essential to sustainable development and poverty eradication.

Addressing the opening today UNFPA executive director Babatunde Osotimehin cited a regional survey on progress since the ICPD conducted by ESCAP in cooperation with UNFPA. “It shows that Asia-Pacific countries have made important gains but need to do more to reduce economic inequality, ensure access to contraception, prevent maternal deaths and HIV infections, respond to the rights and needs of young people and end violence against women and girls,” he said, adding that successfully addressing the unfinished agenda is not only the right thing to do but also smart economics.

At the close of the Conference on September 20, ministers from 46 countries are expected to recommit to redouble their efforts to advance the population and development agenda in Asia and the Pacific.