Using this report to push for gender equality and health equity in Nepal
This report, the first of its kind, presents findings on the gender-related policies and practices of 77 national and global organizations active in gender and health in Nepal. Developed through the collaboration of national and global research teams, the report provides a unique look at the policies and practices of national and global actors, providing some opportunities for comparison between them, as well as between the country-level and headquarter-level policies and gender distribution of leadership of the same organization.
We encourage stakeholders to consider the actions below in using the findings of this report to push for gender equality and health equity in Nepal and beyond:
For Policy-Makers
- Systematically report intersectional data that is disaggregated at a minimum by age and gender, to track progress made by policies and investments dedicated to promoting gender equality as part of the Nepal Government’s commitments to the SDGs and “Leaving No-one Behind”.
- Pursue transparency of all gender equality policy commitments and reporting on implementation of those commitments by ensuring this information is publicly available and presented in a way that is accessible, usable, and understandable.
- Bolster mechanisms of accountability to ensure implementation of existing legislation. This should include independent, transparent monitoring systems.
For Government Employers
- Implement equality, diversity and inclusion policies, cultivate supportive government workplace cultures and remove barriers for women to ensure equality of opportunity for all members of the workforce.
- Consider conducting a gender audit to identify and understand gender patterns in government bodies’ composition, structures, processes, organizational culture and management of human resources, and in the design and delivery of policies and services. Such audits, conducted on a regular basis, can also establish a baseline against which progress can be measured over time.
For All Organizations
- Implement interventions to advance gender-responsive organizational change, including: (i) Adopting clear policies to support staff in balancing personal, family and professional commitments; (ii) Systematically rolling out staff trainings, leadership and mentoring programs and institutionalizing space for dialogue on equality and non-discrimination in the workplace; (iii) Demonstrating and implementing zero tolerance for sexual- and gender-based harassment.
- Set time-bound targets for gender parity, particularly at senior levels, and establish regular and transparent monitoring and reporting of progress with clear lines of accountability.
- Include equality, diversity and inclusion as a standing item for discussion by leadership and governing bodies.
- Conduct gender-based analyses to inform the development, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of programs, in order to understand and address how gender affects health outcomes for everyone—girls, boys, women, men, and people with non-binary gender identities—and respond to differences among them.
- Convene other leaders and organizations in the sector to share learnings and strategies to advance progress.
For Global Organizations with footprints in Nepal
- Where existing workplace policies have been implemented at the global level, or within the ‘parent’ organization, consider adapting these policies for the organization in Nepal including consideration of the specific country context and challenges.
- Review career progression opportunities for all staff, including nationally employed staff, to ensure there are no barriers to reaching leadership levels.
For Funders
- Start a dialogue with partners regarding their performance in this report. Encourage grantees to ensure their policies and programs are gender-responsive and that policies are in the public domain
- Engage in targeted funding. Consider opportunities to support organizations in improving performance in one or more of the 12 variables measured in this report.
For Staff
- Advocate for action from leadership. Use the assessment of your organization in one or more of the areas in this report to call on your organization to improve its performance. Use the score criteria from other organizations in this report to suggest policies and measures that should be adopted. If your organization is lagging behind in your sector, highlight this and discuss with leadership on why this is the case.
- Share the results with your union or staff association. The findings of the report can be a source of evidence-informed advocacy by employee associations within each organization.
- Lobby your Board. Advocate that your organization’s Board include discussion of equality, diversity and inclusion (based on the results of this review as well as other reviews within the organization) as a regular standing item order.
- Organize a gender equality working group. If you don’t have one already, create a staff working group to advance issues of gender and equality in your organization. Use your organization’s results as a starting point for discussion.
- Use the scorecard when considering employment opportunities. Review how a potential employer prioritizes, commits to and delivers on gender equality and diversity when considering your next career move.
Useful tools for all stakeholders
- Compare with your peers: Use the Gender and Health Index to compare your organization’s performance with that of others in your sector. You can use the Index to explore high scoring policies or programmatic work from others in your sector or engaged in similar work, and consider how these examples could apply to your own policies and programs.
- Self-assess your organization: If your organization is not among those in this report, use the self-assessment tool to review your organization’s performance.
- Explore resources: Refer to the GH5050 assessment framework, model policies, and our ‘How To’ guides to inform effective, equitable internal policies to advance equality and non-discrimination in the workplace.
