Current Country Programme

UNFPA Guiding Principles

International Conference on Population and Development

UNFPA's work is guided by the Programme of Action adopted by 179 governments, including Nepal, at the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD) in Cairo. At that meeting, delegates agreed that reproductive health is a basic human right and the individuals should be able to freely choose the number, timing and spacing of their children. The ICPD objectives helped shape the Millennium Development Goals(MDGs) (MDDs). Significantly, the MDGs also include gender equality and the empowerment of women, which are fundamental principles of UNFPA's work.

The ICPD roadmap for progress includes:

• Universal access to reproductive health by 2015
• Universal primary education and closing the gender gap in education by 2015
• Reducing maternal death by 75 per cent by 2015
• Reducing infant death
• Reducing HIV infections rates

Sixth Country Programme

UNFPA is currently implementing the Sixth Country Programme (CP 2008-2010) built upon the experience gained and progress made during the implementation of the previous programmes of cooperation. This programme has solid basis in UNFPA mandate and United Nations Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF) for Nepal. The document defines the Fund's contribution to the UN Development Assistance Framework in Nepal.

Programme priorities in Nepal include assisting the government in:

• achieving universal access to family planning for all citizens;
• forecasting family planning needs and supplying contraceptives;
• making sure that all women enjoy the right to give birth safely;
• promoting sexual and reproductive health education for youth;
• scaling-up HIV prevention efforts;
• increasing the socio-economic development of the country through promoting the use of population data in the national planning;
• supporting national census;
• assisting gender sensitive data collection;
• promoting legal and policy reforms to bring about women's empowerment.
• consolidating efforts to fight gender based violence;
• promoting gender equality and women's empowerment through men and boys' involvement;
• strengthening women's capacity to participate in decision making processes- from the household to national level;
• supporting emergency operations: delivering reproductive health services, including prenatal care, assisted delivery and emergency obstetric care, in remote districts;
• supporting humanitarian assistance operations: paying particular attention to the special needs of women and young people;

The Sixth Country Programme places a strong emphasis on:

• Harmonization of the efforts with other UN Agencies and Funds working in Nepal
• Development of a knowledge base on key population and reproductive health issues
• National ownership
• National capacity strengthening for sustainability
• Human rights based approach
• Advocacy and multisectoral partnership development for positioning the agenda of the International Conference on Population and Development

Thematic Areas of UNFPA Programmes in Nepal

Reproductive Health
Investments in reproductive health save and improve lives, slow the spread of HIV and AIDS and encourage gender equity, equality, and women's empowerment. Long-term benefits of a healthy population include poverty reduction, improved quality of life, stabilized population growth and sustainable development. The results of a healthy population are far-reaching. The impact ripples across societies.


Population and Development
Nepal has been developing at steady pace, yet it remains among the poorest countries in the world. The conflict saw an estimated annual 2 per cent decrease in gross domestic product (GDP), and the average per capita GDP for 2004-2005 was only US $297. Although the incidence of poverty in Nepal decreased from 42 per cent in 1995-1996 to 31 per cent in 2003-2004, inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient increased from 34 per cent to 41 percent.


Gender
In Nepal socio-cultural norms dictate the social behaviour towards women. Gender-based discrimination is widespread and extends to ownership of productive assets (such as cattle), access to resources like land and other property, access to health and educational opportunities, work burden, access to public decision-making positions, mobility, and overall cultural status.