IGD implemented activities towards “Strengthening the Voice of Marginalized Groups in the Constituent Assembly Process in Nepal”. The activities were implemented in over two dozens districts in the Western and Central Development Regions

A total of fourteen thousand people consisting of fifty two percent women participated in community dialogues. The participants represented diverse demographic composition in the community. One hundred and twenty three facilitators including seventy seven females were trained to facilitate two hundred forty one community dialogues in two hundred twenty four VDCs/ municipalities.

A total of twenty eight CA members, sixty one local leaders, thirty seven government officials, two hundred ninety five ethnic leaders, one hundred seven civil society representatives, ninety one journalists and eighty three others participated in District declarations in seventy five districts which was later compiled and consolidated into a citizen national manifesto for CA. The citizen national manifesto containing major inputs of communities to be incorporated in the forthcoming constitution was submitted to the Constituent Assembly.

Rural Women Exercise Citizenship Solidatory Agency

Exclusion of and discrimination against women is one of the excruciating social problems in Nepal. The socio-economic indicators like education and income show that the status of women continues to be rather poorer. Their participation in decision making and in public affairs tends to be very poor and negligible.

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Women generally engage in household chores and farm works from dawn to dusk. Their contribution has always been important but remains ignored and undermined.

The government has introduced several political and social measures to empower women. But these measures are get to benefit women in rural areas

Driven by consideration and focus keeping in view the need to strengthen voices, agency and organization of citizens at the grassroots, IGD conceptualized citizenship right as entry point to build competence of rural women to engage with local bodies and other service providers and also focused on capacity building of women in rural areas to assert their rights as citizens. The capacity was linked to enable them to engage with local bodies to demand effective service delivery. The activities were implemented in the districts of western development region as Rupandehi, Chitwan, Kapilvastu, Makwanpur, Palpa, Lamjung and so on. Rural women were encouraged to organize into citizen groups at the village level with a view to enhance their solidarity and civic actions.

The citizen groups carried out a number of collective actions to raise awareness of the women on their rights, entitlements and obligations. The activities ranged from cleanliness/sanitation in village settlements, organizing trainings for rights and alliance building, citizen education to engage with local agencies to access resources and demand services. The citizen groups have initiated actions on their own to combat violence against women and other forms of social injustices at the local and collected level. Citizen groups have also mobilized resources to sustain core actions at the local level.

Political Parties Recognize Importance of Local Governance

Political parties are the key players in instituting and strengthening democracy and local governance. Adherence of democratic values, inclusiveness within political organization and a clear separation of the role of the parties and the state institutions constitute the basis for good political governance.

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IGD organized a number of dialogues with political leaders to enhance their contribution to strengthen local governance, peace and democratization of state.

Representatives of political parties and Indigenous People organization (IPO) actively took part in these events. Constitutional and governance experts had facilitated the discussions and given inputs as resource persons in the interactions at district level.

Consultations at different levels have been held to sensitize the framers of the CA member Constitution and plead with them for a new separate chapter on competences and mandates of local government in the new federal constitution.