Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) and UN Women in Nepal signed a memorandum of understanding to promote and protect the rights and interests of Nepalis residing outside Nepal.

Ziad Sheikh, Representative, UN Women and Shesh Ghale, President, Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) signed the agreement.

According to MoU, NRNA will coordinate among Nepali communities and their organizations to establish a global network and a common platform to represent the Nepali Diaspora; mobilize the knowledge, skills, capital and other resources at their disposal for the socio-economic development of Nepal in coordination and partnership with the government, national and international institutions.

Both NRNA and UN Women Nepal agree to promote a gender responsive reconstruction, through the Model Village of Larpak and other additional places, advocate for private sector’s promotion of gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through the Women’s Empowerment Principles and gender responsive investments and promote the exchange of information and knowledge for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including through strengthening the capacity of the NCC to address key issues among the Nepali diaspora (including domestic violence).

According to a press release issued by UN Women, earlier in 2014, UN Women and the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) agreed on a sustained and effective partnership aimed at engaging with the private sector to deepen the effectiveness of financing for gender equality and women’s rights; promote exchange of information and skills between diaspora populations and Nepalis to foster equitable development and promoting the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) by signing of MoU on August 5, 2014.

‘’UN Women and NRNA have made some good progress during the first chapter of our partnership. In the new chapter of our partnership, we will be working together to attain the vision of a model village which will help ensure that reconstruction is gender sensitive and gender responsive. We  welcome this partnership with NRNA to support Nepal’s priorities for promoting gender equality and women empowerment in the upcoming reconstruction and recovery efforts.” - Ziad Sheikh, Representative, UN Women Nepal.

‘’We are very pleased to partner with UN Women for the second time at mobilizing efforts for gender responsive investment in all recovery and reconstruction related work. When I visited Larpark, I saw 95 % of the population affected by the earthquake were women, it is important to empower them and help them play a leading role in rebuilding their homes. We are involving them in the process of building a model village in Larpark containing 1000 homes. We have the financial resources and the willingness, and with these two thing and support from UN Women we can make it happen. Thank you so much for extending the MoU,” said Shesh Ghale, President, Non-Resident Nepali Association.

”In 2014, UN Women and the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA) agreed on a sustained and effective partnership. The partnership aimed at engaging with the private sector to deepen the effectiveness of financing for gender equality and women’s rights; promote exchange of information and skills between diaspora populations and Nepalis to foster equitable development and promoting the Women’s Empowerment Principles (WEPs) by signing of MoU on August 5, 2014.”—Sharu Joshi, Strategic Partnership Specialist, UN Women

”Gender equality is a global challenge. Already 189 countries have adopted a blueprint to achieve equality for women. However, not a single country till date has reached gender parity and equality.Nepal, however is a performing country in terms of gender equality and women’s empowerment and to give momentum to the good work Nepal is doing, we need to get men and boys to join the fight for gender equality by signing up the He for She movement.” – Madhu Regmi, Secretary, Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare

”Today is a very important occasion for UN Women and NRNA, and we are honoured to have with us today representatives from the government, the private sector, and the civil society. I would like to take this opportunity to invite all of you to take this pledge and also reach out to as many men and boys as possible to be advocate for change,” said Krishna Hari Baskota, Chief Commissioner, National Information Commission.

Activities pertaining to implementation of the MoU will be carried out on the basis of project documents agreed between UN-Women and the concerned governments, and in accordance with the applicable UN-Women regulations.