Kathmandu. President Bidya Devi Bhandari has highlighted the significance of ensuring gender equality in the path towards ensuring peace, progress and justice in the world.

Antonio Guterres, the secretary-general of the United Nations called upon a meeting under the theme of “Accelerating the Realization of Gender Equality and the Empowerment of all Women and Girls,” that operated on the sidelines of the 75th UN General Assembly. This was done on the occasion of the 25th Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing Plus 25). Nepal’s Permanent Mission to the UN stated that the meeting was attended by a total of 175 panelists, including 42 Heads of States/Governments, 5 Vice-Presidents, and 111 Ministers worldwide.

Bhandari attended the high-level conference virtually from Kathmandu, and expressed her desire to see the campaign for gender equality continue until the idea of substantive equality was actualized. Bhandari paid a mention to the Beijing Declaration and Platform of Action that has delivered a structured plan for empowering women and girls, underscoring its 12 critical areas of concern. However, she maintained that in order to realize such an agenda, it was essential to tackle the existent social hurdles. In presenting the current challenges, she claimed that Covid-19 has widened the gender gap and it was important to not let the pandemic hinder the pathway towards equality.

Nepal is a state party to the Convention on the Elimination of all Forms of Discrimination against Women  (CEDAW) and has committed itself towards the Sustainable Development Goals, 2030. Bhandari has noted that the idea of gender equality has occupied an integral part within the state’s Constitution, with the understanding that this inclusion was important for a well-rounded development. She mentioned that the country had promoted regulations and programs that aimed towards creating a secure environment for women and girls, focused on ending gender-based violence (GBV) and discrimination both in the workplace and within the personal sphere.

The President in her address specified that the objectives encased within the Beijing Declaration can be achieved by identifying and removing the deep-rooted traditional norms that were responsible for the discriminatory practices. She laid emphasis on establishing effective links of coordination amongst the implementation efforts conducted on the national, regional and international spheres.