First National Girls Conference in Nepal
Rural Women’s Network Nepal (RUWON Nepal) www.ruwonnepal.org.np is a national network that has been striving to improve the condition of youth girls, women and children in Nepal. It is an autonomous non-governmental feminist social organization working for the education, development, empowerment, capacity building, leadership, political participation, democracy, human rights and social justice of rural, poor and marginalized women, youth and children in Nepal since 2007.
The initiatives to empower the youth girls include political participation, leadership role, and capacity building training, democracy & social movements, skill-based training and development programs. These programs not only focused on teaching the necessary skills, but also encouraged independent thinking among the youth girls. Awareness was enhanced so as to form a skilled young work force that could help the country. After such trainings, the youth began work in the development sector in Nepal and contributed much of their time in educating other youth and children in this regard.
To achieve these objectives we are involving the youth in much more practical world. Like recently on the occasion of international day of girl child 11th October 2015, we had organized the first national “Girls Conference” in Nepal.
AS On December 19, 2011, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 66/170 to declare 11 October as the International Day of the Girl Child, to recognize girls’ rights and the unique challenges girls face around the world.
This year, as the international community assesses progress under the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) since their implementation in 2000 and sets goals to be achieved by 2030, girls born at the turn of the millennium have reached adolescence, and the generation of girls born this year will be adolescents in 2030. As we reflect on the achievements of the past 15 years and plan sustainable development goals for the next 15, it is an opportune time to consider the importance of social, economic, and political investment in the power of adolescent girls as fundamental to breaking the intergenerational transmission of poverty, violence, exclusion and discrimination and to achieving equitable and sustainable development outcomes.
In this program we had discussed about the issues of girls leadership, political participation, empowerment, capacity enhancement, gender issues, democratic movement, education for the girls, violence against girls, girls anti-trafficking, girls health and income generating skill for girls. In Nepal, as in most other countries in the world, girls have lack of equality, empowerment, and less participation in social and political movement, less opportunity in education and employment. They are, in many instances vulnerable and discriminated against.
The Rural Woman’s Network Nepal (RUWON Nepal) is raising voices and actively support them to be independents, active, encourage and empower them and promote the empowerment of women and girls in Nepal and the recognition and expression of their full potential as individuals and for the nation.
In the first national girls conference 2015 we had gathered the girls here in Kathmandu from different districts, who are actively working in child clubs. And in the program we had discussed about the girl’s empowerment, education, awareness, capacity building and rights of girls in different levels. We promoted and encouraged more girls to participate in community activities and also discussed the problems faced by the girls as well as the issues of discrimination against girls. The conference had helped to strengthen their capacity and confident and also be of aid in understanding how the problems differ in the various districts and how to solve them.
The conference ended by issuing a 23- point Kathmandu Declaration to advocacy for girls’ leadership, empowerment, education, active participation in politics and democratic movements, human rights, equality, social justice, health and safety and skill for income generation.
The conference also formed a 17- member national girls’ committee to advocate for girls rights to education, participation in different social, political and Democratic movement , empowerment, health, safety, skill and other thing necessary for them.
