Consultation on SDG Progress with Beyond Beijing Committee (BBC)
May 31: A consultation event on the Voluntary National Review (VNR) of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) addressing the progress on Goal No. 5 (Gender Equality) took place with the thematic group of Women in Kathmandu. Hosted by the Beyond Beijing Committee and NGO Federation of Nepal, the event featured distinguished guests such as Ms. Anita Paudel, Program Director of the National Planning Commission, and Ms. Parbati Aryal, Secretary of the National Women’s Commission.
While the program primarily centered on Goal No. 5 (Gender Equality), discussions also delved into evaluating Nepal’s progress across four other critical goals: No Poverty (Goal 1), Zero Hunger (Goal 2), Climate Action (Goal 13), Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions (Goal 16), and Partnerships for the Goals (Goal 17).
Ms. Benu Maya Gurung, Co-Convener of the Women and Girl Constituency and the Gender Justice theme of Nepal SDGs Forum delivered the welcome remarks, emphasizing the critical role of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) as watchdogs.
Key presentations revealed a mix of progress and challenges. Ms. Anita Paudel, Program Director at the National Planning Commission, noted that 57% progress has been made on Gender Equality, with significant improvements in green technology for women empowerment. However, she identified ongoing issues in sectors such as Decent Labor and Social Security, Health and Education, and Modern Sustainable Cities. Ms. Shanta Laxmi Shrestha, Executive Advisor to the BBC and Santosh Acharya, Program Specialist of UN Women emphasized the need for gender-disaggregated data, equal access to public resources, and increased efforts to meet the 2030 agenda, with Acharya describing gender equality as the “DNA of SDG”.
Other speakers, including Bhawana Bhatta, vice-chairperson of NGO Federation of Nepal (NFN), Daya Sagar Shrestha of Asia Pacific Regional CSOs Engagement Mechanism, and Shikha Shrestha of VSO, highlighted various issues such as insufficient constitutional rights for women and the shrinking civic space for women.
Parbati Aryal, Secretary of the National Women Commission (NWC), highlighted the plight of women whose voices remain unheard even at the municipal level due to various reasons. She underscored the urgent need for measures to safeguard women’s rights, integrate care work into the national economic framework, and narrow the digital gap to empower women across all sectors.