Recognizing the constitutional provisions relating to equality, social justice and social security, the new strategy has also according high priority to the notion “Leave no one behind”, one of the key and transformative promises of the 2030 Agenda.

The strategy includes five major sections: i) Introduction, ii) Objective, strategy and action plan, iii) Institutional mechanism and arrangements for strategy implementation, iv) Arrangements for monitoring and evaluation, and v) Provision to review, revision, and annulment of the strategy.

Key provisions of the strategy

This strategy, according to the official document, is an upgraded version of the previous Gender Equality and Social Inclusion Strategy for the health sector that was introduced in 2009. The new strategy has been formulated to fulfill the constitutional requirements and to realize the targets of SDG 2030.

Rationale of the strategy

Recognizing the challenges and gaps to reach excluded groups including women, adolescent girls, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minority (SGM) populations and economically and socially excluded groups,  the strategy has highlighted four-point rationale for the need of the strategy:

1. To maintain coordinative efforts among a three-level government in health service delivery with regard to Gender Equality and Social Inclusion (GESI)
2. To align the strategy with rights enshrined in the constitution of Nepal and Nepal’s commitment to Universal Declaration of Human Rights
3. To achieve Nepal’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goals 2030 and realize universal health coverage
4. To attain the long term goal of ensuring an inclusive state as envisioned by Nepal’s periodic plan

Priority areas of the strategy

In line with the provisions of fundamental rights and duties, and directive principles, policies and obligations of the state enshrined in the Constitution of Nepal and provisions of National Health Policy – 2019 for equitable access to health services and improvement in health system, the strategy has included three major priority areas:

1. To enhance trust of excluded groups on the health system by ensuring inclusive, quality and accountable health services delivery
2. To mainstream GESI into the health policies, institutional structures and systems of the federal, provincial and local levels of government and other agencies.
3. To ensure accountable, protective, distributive, and rehabilitative justice to essential health needs of the target groups

Objectives of the strategy:

The key strategic objectives laid down by the new GESI strategy are:

1. To mainstream GESI in the policy, strategy, law, plan, program and budget monitoring and evaluation of the health sector at federal, provincial and local levels.
2. To enhance equitable access of target groups in health services, internalize GESI into institutional mechanisms to empower target groups to demand their rights to and use basic health services.  
3. To conduct targeted programs so as to meet the specific health needs of vulnerable and excluded classes (groups) for ensuring their equal access to and utilization of health services

Strategies

In line with its rationale, objectives and priorities, the document has adopted a seven-point strategy:

1. To institutionalize GESI assessment and analysis methods into policy, strategy, planning and budget cycle of the health sector from GESI perspective
2. To enhance collaboration and partnerships including arrangement of institutional mechanism for GESI mainstreaming
3. To enhance the capacity and confidence of target groups to demand their rights to and use basic health services
4. To assess and analyze gaps in equitable access of target groups with regard to inclusive utilization of essential health services
5. To introduce targeted programs to meet the specific health needs of vulnerable and excluded groups for ensuring their equal access to and utilization of basic health services
6. To strengthen capacity of institutional mechanism to fulfill the specific health needs of excluded and vulnerable populations capacity
7. To encourage partnership and collaboration to ensure access of target groups to health services

Arrangements for strategy implementation

The strategy has mandated all responsible government agencies to ensure policy arrangement for the implementation of the strategy. As in the previous strategy, the new strategy includes the provision of GESI institutional mechanisms at four levels – i) GESI steering committee at federal level, ii) Facilitation Committee at Province Level, iii) Coordination committee at local level, iv) Coordination and facilitation committee at ward level.

Need to translate the strategy into action

Nepal government’s commitment to align the GESI strategy with the rights enshrined in the constitution and Nepal’s commitments to international instruments including Universal Declaration of Human Rights and Sustainable Development Goals is a commendable move.

That said, the focus of all levels of the government should be on the effective implementation of the strategy to ensure that no one is left behind. The newly introduced strategy carries a clear political message that gender and social inclusion will be prioritized by the government. The implementation, however, will be assessed on the basis of institutional capacities, political will to adhere to the commitment and allocation of resources. 

(Pragya Lamsal is Kathmandu-based development professional. Views are personal.)

[Related: Panel Discussion on Gender, Health and Sustainable Development Goals]

Article 64 of the Local Level Election Act (2017) states that the expenditure limit for candidates should be within the ceiling specified in the Nepal Gazette.

The act and other laws clearly state that every candidate should abide by the expenditure limit set by the Election Commission Nepal and all candidates are required to submit their expenditure statement to the commission within 30 days of completion of an election.

Local Level Election Regulation (2017) provides a template to submit the expenditure details. Some headings included in the template are: purchase of voter lists, vehicle/horse, fuel/fodder, publicity materials, transport, meeting/cadres’ mobilization, other publicity, print and electronic medium, office operation, representative mobilization and miscellaneous.

In a simple term, expenditure limit refers to the amount a candidate is allowed to spend on election campaigning, including mass meetings, public rallies, cadres’ mobilization, advertisements, posters and banners publication, and vehicle use among others.

Expenditure limit for 2022 local polls

In the new federal setup, Nepal has established seven provinces and 753 local government units with six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities [popularly known as Gaun Palika].

The Election Commission Nepal has set a different ceiling for the candidates of metropolitan cities, sub-metropolitan cities, municipalities and rural municipalities.

Here are expenditure limit details:

This is the second local-level elections after the country formally adopted the federal republic system after the promulgation of the new constitution in 2015.

Spheres of governments and local bodies

On May 28, 2008, the newly-elected Constituent Assembly declared Nepal the Federal Democratic Republic, abolishing the 240-year-old monarchy. Following the regime change, the 2015 Constitution set out a new federal structure for Nepal with three spheres of government–federal, provincial and local. 

In the new federal setup, Nepal has established seven provinces and 753 local government units with six metropolitan cities, 11 sub-metropolitan cities, 276 municipalities and 460 rural municipalities [popularly known as Gaun Palika].

Other numbers at a glance

Nepal’s law requires that a person should be 18 years to be eligible to vote in federal, provincial, and local elections. And every eligible voter should have their names registered with the Election Commission.

Out of 17.73 million total registered voters, 8.74 million are females, 8.99 million are males, and 183 have been registered in the ‘other’ category. 

Nepalis living abroad will not be able to vote. Four years back in 2018, the Supreme Court issued a directive order to the government for ensuring voting rights for Nepalis living abroad but it has not been implemented yet, the main reason why Nepalis living abroad cannot vote in the local elections.

Though Nepal’s latest population census 2021 shows that women make up 51.04 percent of the country’s total population, fewer females are registered as voters. 

According to a bulletin published by the Election Commission of Nepal on May 5, a constitutional election management body, as many as 145,007 candidates are contesting in the elections. Out of total candidates, the number of women is significantly less than men–55,695 compared to 89,312 men. 

According to the Election Commission, there will be 10,756 polling stations and 21,955 voting booths across the country. 

Use of paper ballots

Though the use of electronic voting machines becomes the subject of discussion every election time,  EVMs are not going to be used during the local polls.

EVMs had been used in Kathmandu Constituency-1 during the first Constituent Assembly elections in 2008. 

This time, voters in the local elections will use the same old system: paper ballots that are cast in person and counted by hand. As always, voters get their fingers marked with indelible ink before they get ballot paper.

Major political parties and  alliances

In Nepal, two major political parties–the Nepali Congress and the Communist Party of Nepal-United Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML)–are trying to show their strength. 

Democrat versus Communist dichotomy has been deconstructed. The ruling coalition has continued their togetherness. 

The grand old party Nepali Congress has formed an alliance with Maoist and other three political parties, all of them are either communist or with domination by Communist leaders.

This many fear will have costly consequences for Nepal’s democracy. With alliances with radical Communist forces, Nepali Congress leaders have compromised fundamental values of democracy: justice, press freedom, and human rights among others.

On the other hand, Nepal’s largest communist party–CPN-UML–has joined hands with what is seen as right-wing and pro-monarchist political formations such as Rastriya Prajatantra Party-Nepal and Nepal Pariwar Dal. UML has been building coalitions based on where its interests meet. In Tanahun, for example, UML has forged an alliance with rival factions of the Nepali Congress.

In a nutshell, alliances are formed on the basis of opportunism. Ideological differences and vision of development could not be an issue of any alliance or political parties.

Popularity test of major political parties

The vote in the country is expected to be a crucial strength test for major political parties of the country. The results will not only indicate the popularity of major political parties but also give a sense of people’s choice in the upcoming polls to elect new provincial and federal parliaments. 

It is likely that Nepal will hold provincial and federal elections around the end of this year. 

“Groundwater: Making the Invisible Visible” is the theme of World Water Day 2022 and the global community is participating to mark the day around the same theme. The theme clearly reminds us of the role of ground water in sustaining lives and livelihood on earth. It is particularly important to a country like Nepal that is vulnerable to climate change impacts.

Can any of us imagine a day without water? None of us can. In reality, human civilization and progress is directly linked to protection and use of water sources. This is why issues related to water safety, security and sustainability should be widely discussed among people from all walks of lives. We should not limit the discussion among technical persons and professionals. Instead, the issues should be openly discussed from the grassroots level, from the policy level, from the political fraternity and from all. Every single person on the planet should participate in the discussion and must have their say so that all can make informed decisions regarding the importance of water for human civilization and human lives.

On the occasion of World Water Day today, let us remember that the entire nature and beauty of the world would not have been possible without water. It is not just an idle statement. It is a reality. And it is high time to have a collective ownership of this crystal clear reality.

See the invisible 

This year’s theme calls for the need to think about invisible sources of water visibly. International Groundwater Resources Assessment Center states: “Groundwater is a vital resource that provides almost half of all drinking water worldwide, about 40% of water for irrigated agriculture and about 1/3 of water required for industry. It sustains ecosystems, maintains the base flow of rivers and prevents land subsidence and seawater intrusion.”

The Center also states that groundwater is an important part of the climate change adaptation process and is often a solution for people without access to safe water.

In a country like Nepal, the first and foremost challenge for the water sector is climate change and its adverse impact on the sector. Climate change presents both increased risks and vulnerabilities to the sustainability of the water supply.

Though groundwater is invisible, its importance is visible to all. It is felt by all. It is directly connected to the daily lives of millions of people. 

In some parts of the country, people have already started feeling the impact of climate change. There are reports that many water sources are depleting in the various parts of the country over the past few years. Some water sources have reportedly gone dry over the past few years. This worrying situation demands an urgent need of paying attention to the issue of water security, safety and sustainability. Needless to say, groundwater plays a vital role in water and sanitation systems including that of sustaining agriculture activities, running industries, preserving livelihood and continuing ecosystems. Some reports even present the fact that groundwater plays a vital role in climate change adaptation as well.

This year’s theme encourages the government and policymakers to consider a framework for water resource management to preserve the groundwater. It also highlights the role of groundwater to make a difference in the lives of people suffering from water related issues.

Though groundwater is invisible, its importance is visible to all. It is felt by all. It is directly connected to the daily lives of millions of people. Let the issue of groundwater be surfaced, be discussed loudly and be connected with people’s lives. It is time to make the invisible visible.  

Pragya Lamsal is a Kathmandu-based development professional with years of experience of working on Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) issues. 

Twitter: @pragyalamsal