Photo by David Gritten
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Opportunities offered by existing gender-responsive policies, strategies and frameworks are not
beingutilizedeffectivelyaswomenremainunder-representedinplanninganddecision-making.
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TheMinistryofForestsandSoilConservation(MoFSC)needstofurtherenhancesocialinclusionand
gender-focusedprogrammesintheforestrysector.
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IncreasetheimpactoftheGender,EqualityandSocialInclusion(GESI)strategythroughinstitutional
capacity development at the national and subnational levels to promote gender equality in the
planning,implementation,monitoringandevaluationofGESI.
Key messages
Policy briefUnderstanding women’s participation in
forestry in Nepal
Background
NepalisasignatorytotheConventionontheEliminationofAllFormsofDiscriminationAgainstWomen(CEDAW),the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action. The governmenthascreatedacomplementarynationallegalframeworktoprotectwomen’srightsandpromotegenderequality in the forestry sector. Since the emergence of community forestry in Nepal, there has been gradual progress towards recognizinggenderequitythroughlaws,policiesandstrategiesgoverningtheforestrysector(Table1).Currently,about1.45 millionhouseholds,orapproximately35percentofNepal’spopulation,areinvolvedincommunityforestryprogrammes, including18000communityforestryusergroups(CFUGs)(USAIDNepal2012).
Although women’s participation in CFUG executive committees has gradually increased to31percent,ithasnotreachedthetargetof 50 percent set out in the Community Forestry Guidelines(2009).Toencourageandempower women’s involvement in forestry further, the DepartmentofForestsdevelopedtheconceptof women-onlyCFUGs;theinitialpurposewasto handoversmalleranddegradedareasofforest landtothem.
There is increasing anecdotal evidence that women-only CFUGs have contributed to
improvementsinforestcoverandmaintainedbettertransparency,communicationandaccountabilityininancialmanagement andgovernance.Currently,morethan1000FUGsarebeingmanagedsolelybywomen(BuchyandRai2008;Jhaveri2013) (Box1).
This brief describes how gender perspectives are integrated in Nepal’s forest plans and policies in terms of women’s representation, participation and access to decision-making in forest use and management. It also highlights the key challenges in mainstreaming gender aspects in forest policies and practices, and outlines recommendations to promote gendermainstreamingfurtherintheforestrysector.
Gender concerns in forest policies
Nepal’sevolvingcommunityforestrysectorhaslaidthegroundworkforfacilitatingintegrationofgender-inclusivestrategies andpolicies.Theforestrysector’sgendermainstreamingprocessisarelativelygoodexampleofthisactivityintheregion.It isampliiedbythestrongpresenceoftheFederationofCommunityForestryUsers,Nepal(FECOFUN)andtheMoFSC’sGESI strategyandGender,PovertyandSocialEquity(GPSE)monitoringframework.
Nepal’saccomplishmentsincludetheappointmentofgenderfocalpointsatministerialanddepartmentallevelswithinthe MoFSC, and the integration of GPSE monitoring framework indicators into the community forestry database system to recordgender-disaggregateddata.
DespitetheprogressonpromotinggenderparityingovernmentpoliciesthroughtheGESIstrategyandtheGPSEmonitoring framework,moreeffortsareneededtoaddressthefollowingkeychallengestofurtherthethrust.
• Withwomenoccupyingonly3percentofpositions,thecurrentcompositionofstaffwithintheMoFSCismuchlower thanthequotaofatleast33percentadvocatedbythegovernment,showcasingacutegenderimbalance.
• Womenareunder-representedinplanninganddecision-making,despitetheopportunitiesofferedbytheGESIstrategy. Forexample,thequotaoffemalemembersinCFUGexecutivecommitteeshasgraduallyincreasedto31percent,but hasnotreachedthegovernment’sprescribedtargetof50percent.
• Theannualbudgettoundertakegender-focusedprogrammesisinadequate.Forexample,lessthan1percentofthe MoFSC’sbudgetwasallocatedtomainstreamtheGESIstrategyintoplanning,training,monitoringandevaluationin 2010.
Box 1. Community forestry in Nepal
Source:USAIDNepal(2012).
TotalnumberofCFUGs
Totalcommunityforestryarea(ha) Totalnumberofhouseholdmembers Women-onlyCFUGs
1970s Earlyyears
1976-1977
People’sparticipation
1988
TheForestrySector MasterPlan
1990s-2001 Democracyand consolidation
2009
Gainsingenderequality
2011–MSFP
2011-2012
Newvisionlaunched
Minimal attention was given to poor and marginalized communities, including women.Butawarenessofwomen’srolesinforestmanagementandgenderequality concernsintheforestrysectorstartedtogrow.
The National Forest Plan (1976) acknowledged the need for people’s participation inmanagingthecountry’sforests.In1977,theForestActof1961wasamendedto includeprovisionsforhandingoverforestareastovillageinstitutions(MoFSC2007; Kanel2008).
TheForestrySectorMasterPlan(FSMP)becamethekeypolicy,planningandbudgetary frameworkfordevelopingNepal’sforestrysector.Itintroduceduser-groupmodalities and recommended executive committee membership in each CFUG to comprise femalecompositionofatleast33percent.
TheForestActof1993andtheForestRegulation(1995)providedlegalfoundation forcommunityforestry.In2001,theJointTechnicalReviewofCommunityForestry suggestedthatCFUGsshouldincludeonemaleandonefemalememberfromeach household(BuchyandSubba2003;BuchyandRai2008).
Sincethemid-2000s,gendermainstreaminginNepalhasfocusedongenderequity and women’s empowerment within the context of social inclusion. The MoFSC completedtheGESIstrategyandtheGPSEmonitoringframework.
TheCommunityForestryGuidelinesamendedsothat50percentofCFUGexecutive committeememberswouldcomprisewomenand35percentofuser-groupincome wouldbeusedforpro-poorinterventions(Acharya2010;HURDECNepaletal.2012).
Theten-yearMultiStakeholderForestryProgramme(MSFP)wasjointlyinitiatedbythe DepartmentforInternationalDevelopment,UK,theSwissAgencyforDevelopment andCooperationandtheFinnishInternationalDevelopmentAgency.TheMSFPwill workin61districtsofNepal;somestrategicobjectivesaretoaddressgenderequality, goodgovernanceandinclusionissuesintheforestandclimatechangesectors.
The MoFSC launched a new vision – Forests for People’s Prosperity – to promote privatesectorinvolvementandimproveeconomicviabilityoftheforestrysectorby highlightingthepotentialofwomen’senterprises.Moredetailswillemergewhena reviewoftheForestSectorStrategy(upto2022)isdone.
Moving forward
The following recommendations would be instrumental in helping to implement policies, guidelines and institutional mechanismstoeffectivelyincorporategenderdimensionsintheongoingdiscussionsonthenextstepsforthenewForest SectorStrategy(2012-2022)andtheREDD+socialandenvironmentalsafeguards:
• Leadershipawareness-raising,orientationandsensitizationabouttheGESIstrategy,itsmilestones,visionandobjectives atnational,regionalanddistrictlevels,wouldhelptodevelopgender-responsiveforestryinstitutions.
• Capacity development activities such as training events, workshops as well as the introduction of speciic training modulesintheInstituteofForestry’scurriculumongenderandforestrywouldhelptoensurethatforestryoficialshave therequiredskillstoimplementtheGESIstrategy.
• Agender-sensitivereviewoftheForestSectorStrategyandFSMP,andtherelatedimplementationplan,isimportantto identifyobstaclesthatimpedepromotionofgendermainstreamingactivities.
• Dedicated additional inancial resources for effective implementation of gender mainstreaming activities including recruitmentoftrainedstaffwithnecessaryexpertiseatnational,regionalandlocallevelsareadvocated.
• StaffcompositionwithintheMoFSCandotherkeyforestryinstitutionsneedsgreatergenderbalance.
• Protocols and training on collection of appropriate gender-disaggregated data by district forest oficers and forest rangers need to be developed; exploiting GPSE monitoring indicators in the management information systems for communityforestryisvital.
References
Acharya,M.2010.Approaches to poverty reduction – what is new?Availableat,www.fesnepal.org
Buchy,M.&Rai,B.2008.Dowomen-onlyapproachestonaturalresourcemanagementhelpwomen?Thecaseofcommunity forestryinNepal.InB.P.Resurreccion&R.Elmhirst.eds.Gender and natural resources management. Livelihoods, mobility, and interventions.Oxford,England,Earthscan.
Buchy,M.&Subba,S.2003.Whyiscommunityforestryasocialandgender-blindtechnology?Gender, Technology and Development,7:313-332.
Jhaveri,N.J.2013.Nepal: gender mainstreaming in the forest sector.Nepal.Unpublished.
Kanel,K.2008.Sofarsogood:nextstepsincommunityforestry.InR.Ghate,N.Jodha&P.Mukhopadyay,eds.Promise, trust, and evolution: managing the commons of South Asia,pp.370-390.Delhi,OxfordUniversityPress.
HURDECNepal,Hobley,M.&ERI.2012.Persistence and change. Review of 30 years of community forestry in Nepal.Vol. 1.Kathmandu.
MinistryofForestsandSoilConservation(MoFSC).2007.Forest Sector Gender and Social Inclusion Strategy. Kathmandu, MoFSC.
UnitedStatesAgencyforInternationalDevelopment(USAID)Nepal.2012.Nepal biodiversity and tropical forestry analysis: prosperity, livelihoods and conserving ecosystems.Kathmandu.
Thisbriefispartofaprojectentitled‘MainstreamingGenderIssuesintoForestPoliciesofDevelopingAsia-PaciicForestryCommission