Kathmandu: With financial support from the Royal Norwegian Embassy and the Swiss Agency for Development Cooperation (SDC), the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and the World Health Organization (WHO) have launched a new initiative aimed at advancing the rights, health and well-being of women, girls, adolescents and marginalized communities across three provinces of Nepal.
Building on lessons and experiences from previous programmes, the initiative combines the resources, expertise and experience of the two organizations to strengthen essential health services and gender-based violence (GBV) response.
With a USD 6 million commitment, the new two-year joint programme, titled “Strengthening Systems for Integrated Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights (SRHR) and Gender-Based Violence (GBV) Services,” will be implemented in 20 municipalities across Koshi, Madhesh and Sudurpaschim provinces.
The programme aims to translate policies into everyday practice by enhancing the capacity of federal, provincial and local authorities to provide high-quality SRHR and GBV services. Alongside improving health and protection services, it will also raise community awareness so that people know where and how to seek support.
“At a time when we are witnessing a troubling backlash against the rights of women, girls and other marginalized groups in many parts of the world, Norway remains committed to advancing gender equality. We are proud to continue our long-term investment in Nepal towards ensuring that everyone can make informed decisions about their own bodies and futures, access quality services without discrimination, and live free from violence. Norway is especially pleased that strengthened government ownership and institutional capacity are at the heart of this joint initiative,” said Baard Hjelde, Head of Cooperation and Deputy Head of Mission, Royal Norwegian Embassy in Kathmandu.
Matthias Meier, Chargé d’affaires a.i. at the Embassy of Switzerland in Nepal, said, “Quality services for survivors of gender-based violence and sexual and reproductive health must be available to everyone who needs them. Switzerland remains committed to supporting federal, provincial, and local governments to strengthen systems, secure long-term support, and ensure these essential services continue to reach communities across Nepal.”
The initiative builds on more than a decade of development cooperation in Nepal through the SDC- and RNE-supported Gender-Based Violence Prevention and Response (GBVPR) project, which covered Phase I (2016–2020) and Phase II (2020–2026), as well as the RNE-supported Reproductive Health and Rights for Accelerating Impacts (RHEA) project (2022–2025).
Previous efforts successfully established local government policies and introduced inclusive health standards. The new partnership, however, will focus on addressing the gap between existing laws and their implementation.
By bringing these achievements together through a more integrated approach to service delivery, the programme will support the Government of Nepal’s efforts to institutionalize integrated services, strengthen domestic financing and move toward increasingly sustainable and nationally owned systems.
Sriram Haridass, Country Representative of UNFPA in Nepal, said Nepal has made significant progress in establishing progressive policies and frameworks on sexual and reproductive health and rights and gender-based violence. “The challenge now is to ensure that these commitments translate into quality services that people can actually access. This partnership is about helping close that gap, so that every woman and girl, wherever she lives, can exercise her rights and access the care and support she needs,” he said.
Dr Allison Gocotano, Acting WHO Representative to Nepal, said WHO appreciates Norway and Switzerland for supporting gender equality and sexual and reproductive health in Nepal. “WHO and UNFPA bring complementary strengths to this work, and together under the leadership of the Government of Nepal, we will work to strengthen health system capacity, refine clinical standards and support health workers to deliver integrated, quality care. Our shared aim is that every woman and girl in Nepal receives the care she needs, wherever she lives,” she said.
The joint programme combines UNFPA’s expertise in reproductive rights and GBV response with WHO’s technical leadership in health systems and quality standards, providing the Government of Nepal with a coherent and complementary approach to integrated care.
The four partners remain committed to working with the Government of Nepal to strengthen government-led systems, enabling every woman, girl and young person to exercise their rights and live free from violence.
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