Statement by Hon’ble Ms. Tham Maya Thapa,
Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizen, on behalf of
the Government of Nepal at the Nairobi Summit on ICPD25
13 November 2019

Respected Chair, Excellences and Distinguished Guests,

Allow me at the outset to convey to you and all the respected delegates attending this landmark ICPD event warm greetings on behalf of my country Nepal.

On behalf of my delegation and representatives from my country which includes civil society organizations, youth and women networks, media, present here today, I would like to express our heartfelt gratitude to the Government and people of Kenya for their warmest hospitality along with the Government of Denmark and UNFPA for convening this important global Summit on ICPD.

Nepal has been a strong supporter of the ICPD vision and we have embraced this mandate since the Cairo Conference in 1994. We recognize the importance of the ICPD mandate to promoting women’s rights and sustainable development and the centrality of reproductive rights to achieving that vision.

I am proud to share with you that Nepal passed the Right to Safe Motherhood and Reproductive Health Act in 2018, as a fundamental human right. This commitment is embedded in our new constitution and the Act aims to promote equity and ensure non-discrimination so that all citizens, irrespective of caste, ethnicity, religion, sex, age, disability, sexual orientation and gender identity, can exercise their fundamental rights.

Nepal stands proud today of its achievements since the Cairo Conference and recognizes that to reach our SDG aspirations by 2030, we need to accelerate action for the full implementation of the ICPD Programme of Action.

On behalf of my country, it gives me great please to express our full and unreserved support for the Nairobi Global Commitments and further reiterate that the Global Commitments are closely aligned and reinforce our national priorities and commitments, which will focus on:

• Achieving the three zeros: ending violence against women and children, early and forced marriage, ending preventable maternal deaths and ending unmet need for family planning.
• Investing in young people including their health and well-being by ensuring that they are able to exercise their reproductive rights through upscaling adolescent-friendly services and comprehensive sexuality education.
• Ensuring the basic humanitarian needs of affected populations, including for sexual and reproductive health care and gender-based violence prevention and response, are addressed in humanitarian contexts.
• Putting in place financing policies, instruments and structures to ensure full implementation of ICPD Programme of Action and SDGs.

I call on all our global, regional and national partners to uphold reproductive rights and to ensure that the promise of ICPD is not forgotten, to leave no one behind, in our pursuit to fulfilling the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.

Thank you.