Nepal's Ministry of Forest and Environment Launches Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy

Kathmandu. The Ministry of Forest and Environment has implemented the 'Strategy and Implementation Plan for Gender Equality, Disability-Friendliness, and Social Inclusion in the Forest and Environment Sector 2082-2091 (JDC)'.

The strategy, which has been in preparation for 10 years, was approved and implemented starting from Falgun 15. Today, the Ministry organized a program where Forest and Environment Minister Madhav Prasad Chaulagai unveiled the strategy document. He stated, "Gender participation in the forest sector has greatly contributed to the development of women's leadership."

Minister Chaulagai urged for the practical implementation of the recently passed strategy across all sectors. Furthermore, he emphasized changing the destiny along with the policy to create a gender-friendly workplace.

At the program, Secretary of the Ministry Dr. Govinda Prasad Sharma mentioned that the arrival of the strategy itself is the first success and that it is the primary responsibility of the concerned sectors to translate it into practice. He added that it is necessary to be sensitive towards the budget required to establish gender-friendly social justice.

During the program, gender focal persons from various departments working under the Ministry of Forest and Environment were honored with certificates of appreciation.

On that occasion, Deputy Secretary of the Ministry of Forest, Deepa Oli, presented the important points included in the recently implemented Strategy and Implementation Plan for Gender Equality, Disability-Friendliness, and Social Inclusion in the Forest and Environment Sector (2082-2091).

The action plan is covered under various 74 strategies. It mentions that the strategy and action plan will be reviewed every five years, and a national workshop/seminar on gender mainstreaming in the forest sector will be organized every three years.

Moreover, the strategy includes points such as establishing and operating well-equipped childcare centers in forest premises for female employees, implementing a transfer standard that ensures both husband and wife are transferred to the same district upon request for up to two years after childbirth for female employees, arranging disability-friendly transportation, and making office resources and facilities friendly to women and persons with disabilities.

At the program, Community Forest Secretary Parwata Gautam, Federation of Forest Authority Chairman Rakesh Karna, World Wildlife Fund Nepal Country Representative Dr. Ghanshyam Gurung, and Gender Equality Expert Kanchan Lama shared their views on the importance of the strategy.