Gender and Development

Nepal

Governance Reform Program

The ADB is undertaking several projects aimed at improving governance in its DMCs. In Nepal, the Governance Reform Program (GRP; approved by the Board in 2001), executed by the Ministry of General Administration (MOGA), includes a distinct gender strategy.

The overall program goal is to establish a civil service that is more results, people and gender oriented, and which will contribute to higher economic growth and poverty reduction. It has five components

1. to develop an internal capacity to lead reform
2. to improve the efficiency of the civil service
3. to improve governance and reduce corruption in government
4. to enhance staff competence and motivation
5. to establish processes for improving performance in key ministries

A recent study undertaken by Nepal's Ministry of Women, Children and Social Welfare (MOWCSW) and the UNDP highlighted the acute gender imbalance in the civil service. Women account for only 8.6 per cent of total positions: 5.1 per cent of officer level and 8.9 per cent of support staff positions. There are only three women at the highest, special, level of the civil service, and 25 at level 1, of which 20 are in social sectors or non-administrative positions. Female promotion rates are low, with only one woman promoted to class 1 during 1997-2000, and similar trends at other levels. If Nepal is to achieve its objective of integrating women more actively into the development process, this situation must be remedied.

To ensure that the needs of women are fully addressed in the GRP, the Gender Specialist in ADB's Resident Mission synthesized the MOWCSW/UNDP study findings and brought them to the attention of the project fact-finding team and the executing agency, MOGA. She subsequently liaised with MOWCSW, MOGA and the project team to ensure that gender concerns are fully addressed in the governance reform process and output. Once the overall goal of the GRP had been revised to make it more gender inclusive, it paved the way for involving MOWCSW in the reform process, and for integrating gender into the five GRP components.

As a basis for further project design work, ADB also supported MOGA to organize a half-day workshop "Mainstreaming Gender Issues in the Civil Service with a Special Focus on the Governance Reform Program". The workshop brought together organizations and line ministries concerned with the reform process and created awareness of gender imbalances in the civil service and the need to increase number and levels of female staff.

The project appraisal mission further ensured that the GRP would address gender imbalances by introducing affirmative action legislation to increase women's representation in the civil service, including their percentage in senior positions. The legislation will focus on alleviating constraints and creating new opportunities for women.

To ensure that women are not disadvantaged during the civil service right-sizing process, ADB, MOGA and MOWCSW reached agreement that a promotion scheme for women will be developed under the GRP. This will aim to offset socio-cultural impediments to female career advancement and include an incentive mechanism aimed at recruitment and retention of greater numbers of women. Innovations in maternity leave, in-service training and physical facilities will be some of the initiatives involved. Related human resource consultants will be required to have gender expertise.

Achievements of these gender-responsive reforms have been made part of the tranche release conditions of the GRP. For example, the Government has agreed to approve an affirmative action policy prior to release of the second tranche of the loan. This will include measures to increase the percentage of women in the civil service.