Feature Stories

Challenges and Opportunities of Transition in Nepal: UNFPA and UNDP Executive Board Members Visit to Nepal

Eight members of the joint Executive Board of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) visited Nepal from 18-25 April. The participating delegates were from the Republic of Angola, the Republic of Azerbaijan, Mexico, the Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Sweden, the Republic of Haiti and the United Republic of Tanzania.

During their visit to Nepal, the Board members were able to assess a number of challenges that the Nepalese face, as well as the vast array of initiatives and public policies that UNDP and UNFPA are supporting in close collaboration with the Nepale's government, civil society, donors and all the citizens.

The delegation interacted with government, CA members, civil society, young people, donors, UN agencies and people in the communities where UNFPA and UNDP work.

Meeting the most important among the partners: Field visit to UNDP and UNFPA sites

During their trip to Dang district the delegates met young girls and boys, uterine prolapse patients and Female Community Health Volunteers who spoke about how their lives have been improved thanks to the work of UNFPA.

While talking to Pawannagar Village residents they learnt about the innovative government approach supported by UNFPA of linking citizens to health services through Female Community Health Volunteers. They have spoken to girls from socially excluded groups who were given a chance to plan their life thanks to Women Development Office and UNFPA's Choose you Future Programme that helped them to gain confidence and ask bold questions about who they want to be and what they want to achieve. The visitors met women of different age who boldly spoke about their sexual and reproductive health and talked openly with their families about the importance of their daughters' well being including health care and knowledge of family planning methods.

Still in Dang district, the Board members gained an insight into two innovative community initiatives supported by UNFPA, UNICEF and Women Development Office that aimed to improve maternal health and mitigate gender based violence: Emergency Obstetric Care (EOC) was established to support complicated pregnancies and provide money without delay for transport and necessary arrangements; Paralegal Committees established and trained in every VDC in Dang for the mediation in gender and sexual violence cases as well as protection of child rights.

The Executive Board members witnessed how the district is recovering from the conflict and how support to enterprise development and rebuilding of local infrastructure is improving the quality of the lives of people and bringing communities together to build peace.

In Tulsipur the visiting team attended a product fair organised by UNDP Micro-enterprise Development Programme and discussed with the micro-entrepreneurs about how the technical and management skills they had learned helped them improve their livelihoods.

Team Leader of the visiting delegation, Mr. Aldo Aldama Breton from Mexico, Director of Economic and Social Issues, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said afterwards, 'I was highly impressed by the dedication of these communities. It was wonderful to see so much of enthusiasm among these men and women. They were aware that their children needed good education. I was equally overwhelmed to see that these women and young girls had so much of enthusiasm to learn about health issues and were doing a wonderful job of educating the others also. It was impressive to see how both UNDP and UNFPA are
working in synergy for a common cause.'

Witnessing the peace consolidation efforts

To understand better the complicated transition Nepal is going through right now, the Board members went to the Main Cantonment Site (MCS), Division IV in Nawalparasi. The Maoist Commander, Yam Bahadur Adhikari thanked UN agencies for the support in improving the conditions in the cantonment. He further added that the war had been fought to bring peace but the peace process will not be complete without the reintegration.

Some 20 per cent of Maoist combatants residing in the cantonments are female and a large number of these women are pregnant or breastfeeding. The Maoist army has specifically expressed the need for gynaecologists who can provide referral services, and for appropriate medical supplies and facilities to care for these women. Recognising the need for health services in the divisions as well as during discharge and reintegration and acknowledging the need to include the larger community in these support activities for reconciliatory and peaceful transition, UNFPA has developed a strategy to support the Government in the delivery of health services, particularly reproductive health, in the cantonment and during discharge and reintegration process.

As UNFPA acknowledges that a successful Constitution writing process is vital for a logical end to Nepal's peace process the Fund is working closely with Ministry of Women Children and Social Welfare and other UN agencies to make sure that the citizens who never had access to decision making- women from disadvantaged groups have their say and are able to exercise their rights. To gain better understanding of the opportunities and challenges of the constitution writing in Nepal the Executive Board members met the Chairperson of the Constituent Assembly (CA) and few Members. Subash Nembang, Chairperson of the CA emphasized the need for consensus building and keeping a timeline for a successful constitution making process.

Ms. Sapana Pradhan member of the Constituent Assembly representing the Communist Party Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML), Ms. Anan Dawa Sherpa Constituent Assembly member representing the Community Party of Nepal (Maoists) and Mr. Mrigendra Kumar Singh Yadav, Chair of the Committee on Capacity Building and Resource Management representing Madhesi Janaadhikar Forum (MJF) had longer discussion with the Executive Board delegation at the Center for Constitutional Dialogue (CCD). Constituent Assembly members spoke passionately about the importance of women's rights including rights to reproductive health. They proudly informed the Executive Board members about the domestic violence bill passed by the Constituent Assembly a day before. They recounted expectations of the people from the new constitution and concerns on environment and climate change. They also appreciated the support from UNDP in establishing the CCD.

Aid effectiveness

The UNFPA/UNDP Executive Board delegation had a chance to interact directly with the representatives of the Government of Nepal, more specifically with the Secretaries of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Population, Ministry of Peace and Reconstruction, Ministry of Children, Women and Social Welfare and the Ministry of Local Development during a briefing organized by the Ministry of Finance. The meeting was chaired by the Secretary of the Ministry of Finance, Mr. Rameshwar Khanal. All the Line Ministries expressed their gratitude for the support provided by UNDP and UNFPA in their respective sectors. Senior staff in Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and Population and Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare all spoke highly of UNFPA. The Fund was described as 'the best at ownership'. One Secretary praised UNFPA by saying 'we sit together, we plan together, we implement together'.

During the meeting held in the Ministry of Finance the Board Members collected the suggestions from the government on how to make best use of the aid channeled through multilateral partners like UN. The secretary of the Ministry of Finance requested all the UN agencies to execute their programmes through Government's treasury rather than directly in order to encourage national ownership.


As a follow up to the discussions on the best utilization of aid resources, the UNFPA and UNDP Executive Board members met other international partners working in Nepal, UN agencies and Civil Society representatives.

The donor community expressed an urgent need to gain international-political support in order to lead the fragile ongoing peace process to a logical end. They highlighted that the International community can play a positive role in assisting Nepal in dealing with humanitarian and development issues in the post-conflict context. The Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) adopted by the donors in responding to the need in education sector was proving effective. The team leader of the Executive Board delegation expressed that the meeting with local donor community 'was helpful' for understanding the role being played by the donors and UN in assisting Nepali people in their efforts to sustain peace.

The NGO representatives, during the meeting with the Executive Board expressed that the peace process would be incomplete without the involvement of civil society and that the peace process was still very Kathmandu centric.

During the meeting with the heads of all the UN agencies in Nepal the Board Members learnt about numerous collaborations within UN system in Nepal.

Listening to Youth

UN Country Team (UNCT) is committed to the young people's empowerment and rights and is open to hearing from the youth directly their concerns and vision. To create a space for open dialogue and share the ideas between the UNCT and young people the UN Youth Advisory Panel (UNYAP) was established in 2008 and meets regularly with the UN Country Team.

The Executive Board members had a chance to talk to this assembly and learn about how young people are contributing to the development and their participation in the peace process. Young people were articulate on their vision and ideas for a new Nepal. Some of the issues raised by them during the meeting with the Executive Board members, were: youth unemployment, need for more value based education in schools, youth being more vulnerable to HIV/AIDS, increasing migration in search of work, lack of fund for students to pursue higher studies abroad and the need for improved data for implementation of the law for disabled people. The Executive Board encouraged the volunteerism and commended the YAP on their enthusiasm, efforts and plans for the future.

Closing Note

The Board Members were struck by the complexities, vulnerability and also the resilience and aspirations in Nepal. They recognized the valuable contribution that UNFPA and UNDP are making to the peace process, to ensuring national ownership, to building sustainable solutions, to improving UN accountability and towards working as a UN family. They urged UNFPA and UNDP to continue the efforts in consolidating meaningful peace and justice for the people of Nepal.

The Team Leader of the visiting members, Mr. Aldo Aldama Breton from Mexico, Director of Economic and Social Issues, at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said, 'We were pleased and proud to confirm the noble and highly respected image that the UN has in Nepal. Our visit enabled us to realize and deepen our knowledge of the crucial issues, as well as the contributions that the UNDP and UNFPA and the UN as a whole are doing in this important peace and development process. It was a very interesting, useful and thorough visit.'


Representatives from 36 countries serve on the UNFPA and UNDP Executive Board representing five regional groups. Countries serve on a rotating basis and new members replace those who have served their term. The Board oversees and supports the activities of UNDP and UNFPA, ensuring that the organization remains responsive to the evolving needs of programme countries. The Board is under the authority of the UN Economic and Social Council.

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