Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Mainstreaming Strategy: Promoting Transformational Leadership and Social Justice in Natural Resource Management and Climate Change

This technical report discusses how international development intersects gender equality and social inclusion (GESI) in Nepal. In sectors such as agriculture, climate change is already affecting livelihoods in the area through unpredictable rains, floods, droughts, and increasing pests due to rising temperatures; and women, poor, and marginalized people are particularly vulnerable. Additionally, the forest sector in Nepal can be overharvested; more education is needed around sustainable forestry practices. The goal of this report is to promote the development and implementation of effective mainstreaming of GESI. In Nepal, this process is crucial to effective biodiversity conservation, forest management, and climate change adaptation projects.

However, according to the report there are a number of barriers that prohibit full participation of women in the process including, to name a few, poverty, landlessness, illiteracy, geographical remoteness, domination of Dalits by other caste groups, women’s workloads, and gender biased attitudes.

The methodology in this report includes the establishment of a task force; interaction with local resource persons, field team, and key informants; production of an inception report; GESI assessments of the consortium partners; development of the draft strategy and sharing with Hariyo Ban Program — the sponsoring program of the report; and final strategy development with internal consultation about an operational plan.

Excerpt from the report:

The objectives of the GESI mainstreaming strategy include the following:

• Promote a favorable institutional and policy environment for mainstreaming gender equality and social inclusion in biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation in Nepal.
• Integrate GESI dimensions in all thematic and cross-cutting components of Hariyo Ban.
• Enhance capacity of partners and stakeholders to enable women and socially excluded groups to claim their rights in NRM.
• Promote women’s economic rights and independence, including access to employment, appropriate working conditions and control over economic resources.