The 70th session of the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women (CSW) is being held in New York City from March 9 to 19. Nepal was represented at the session by Minister for Women, Children and Senior Citizens Shradha Shrestha, who led the country’s participation in various high-level meetings and discussions.
Minister Shrestha attended the session along with a Nepali delegation that included Secretary Radhika Aryal and Joint-secretary Abha Shrestha from the Ministry of Women, Children and Senior Citizens.
On the first day of the session, March 9, Minister Shrestha participated in two high-level events. At a program on strengthening legal systems to end child marriage, organized by Just Rights for Children and the Office of the First Lady of Sierra Leone, she presented Nepal’s views and ongoing efforts to eliminate child marriage.
Speaking at the event, Minister Shrestha said child marriage is a serious violation of children’s fundamental rights and stressed the need for stronger legal frameworks and multisectoral interventions. She also reiterated Nepal’s commitment to eliminating child marriage by 2030 and called for global attention toward declaring an international day dedicated to ending child marriage.
The minister also addressed a high-level evening reception organized to mark the 45th anniversary of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW), with participation from UN Women, the UN Foundation and member states.
On March 10, Minister Shrestha took part in four important events. During a parallel event organized by Beyond Beijing Committee Nepal, Asia Pacific Women’s Watch, dZi Foundation and Asian-Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW), discussions focused on strengthening legal pathways for sexual and reproductive health rights and justice. The minister shared Nepal’s perspectives and interacted with organizations working in this field.
She also participated in a high-level side event organized under the UNFPA-UNICEF Global Programme to End Child Marriage, where she highlighted Nepal’s efforts to end child marriage. These include strengthening legal and policy frameworks, expanding access to justice, improving birth and marriage registration systems, promoting girls’ education and raising community awareness.
Minister Shrestha further participated in the ministerial roundtable and general discussion sessions under the CSW priority theme of ensuring and strengthening access to justice for women and girls through inclusive and equitable legal systems and by addressing discriminatory laws, policies and structural barriers. During the discussions, she presented Nepal’s national statement highlighting progress, challenges and ongoing efforts related to gender equality, justice and women’s empowerment.
On March 11, Minister Shrestha represented Nepal in three high-level side events. At a closed ministerial roundtable hosted by the government of Sierra Leone on advancing the nexus between sexual and reproductive health rights and gender equality, she shared Nepal’s efforts and experiences in promoting sexual and reproductive health rights and gender equality.
She also stressed the importance of strengthening multilateral cooperation and integrating gender equality and sexual and reproductive health rights into broader agendas such as climate action, peacebuilding and development.
In another discussion titled “The Race for Financing: What is and isn’t working for Adolescent Girls,” the minister highlighted Nepal’s efforts to invest in adolescent girls while acknowledging existing challenges. She noted plans to strengthen data systems, expand digital monitoring and enhance partnerships with the private sector, and called on the international community and development partners to increase long-term, multi-year investments in Nepal.
Minister Shrestha also spoke at a high-level side event related to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women, where she highlighted Nepal’s constitutional provisions ensuring equality and inclusive representation, including reservation policies in the civil service and the growing participation of women in diplomacy and peace processes. She also shared Nepal’s efforts to implement recommendations from the CEDAW Committee through a national roadmap aimed at eliminating discriminatory laws and structural barriers.
On March 12, the minister also participated in a high-level meeting under the ministerial segment focusing on violence against women and girls, where she shared Nepal’s efforts and progress in addressing gender-based violence.
During her visit, Minister Shrestha also met members of the Nepali diaspora in New York and held discussions on Nepal’s current political situation, social development, future prospects and the role of the Nepali community abroad in national development.
