The draft National Action Plan II for the implementation of the UN Security Resolutions 1325 and 1820 on Women, Peace and Security taking final shape after the completion of wider consultation at the provincial, local and national levels.

“The conflict is over, and victims like us have been appreciated for our efforts in uplifting lives in communities around the country. But when we return to our own homes, we realize that nothing has really changed,” said Charimaya Tamang of Shakti Samuha during a  national consultation programme organized in Kathmandu. Shakti Samuha is a non-profit organization that works against women trafficking.

The consultation was organized to gather feedback on the draft National Action Plan. It was organized by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MoHA).Tamang went on to demand social justice and commitment from the government for the conflict affected. Similarly, Sarita Thapa, who also belongs to a conflict-affected community, called for scrapping the time limitations for reporting sexual and physical violence.

Many women continue to suffer physically and psychologically from the physical and sexual violence committed against them during the armed conflict. Others are in economically disadvantaged positions as a result of being forced to halt their education or employment due to displacement and instability. Recognizing these challenges, the Government of Nepal has conducted 13 consultations in the provincial and local levels as part of its process of drafting the National Action Plan II (NAP II). The first NAP implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions 1325 and 1820 was developed in 2011.

Addressing the ongoing challenges, UN Resident Coordinator Valerie Julliand emphasized on taking action to address the issues of the conflict affected, especially those of women, for long lasting peace. 

The Joint Secretary of the National Planning Commission, Kiran Rupakheti, requested government officials to allocate budgets for the implementation of the NAP II. Similarly, the Joint Secretary of MoHA, Puskar Sapkota, made a commitment to incorporate all the necessary suggestions while enacting NAP II.

Other participants pointed out issues of health services and health packages, disaggregated data, as well as awareness programmes at schools, among others.

UN Nepal (UNDP, UN Women, UNRCO, IOM, UNFPA, UNODC and UNRCPD) has supported Ministry of Home Affairs since August 2019 in drafting the NAP.

MoHA has uploaded the NAP II draft to its website: moha.gov.np. The deadline to submit comments and suggestions is 25 January, 2020.