“Inclusion”; and “equal participation”; of every citizen are two vital characteristics of a well-functioning democratic society. With this realization, Ms. Sharmila Karki, along with her team including Ms. Meena Bista, Mr. Krishna Thapa, Ms. Shova Gautam, Mr. Himmat Singh Lekali, Ms. Sunita Chhatkuli, and Ms. Jyoti Paudel, founded Jagaran Nepal in 2002 AD (2058 BS) to advocate for women’s equal participation with the vision to establish a just and peaceful society with gender equality. Thus, enhancing women’s meaningful representation in political, cultural, social and economic spheres through policy advocacy, leadership development and capacity building has been the central agenda of Jagaran Nepal. The efforts of this organization, for the last 22 years, has revolved around this very agenda.

Historically, participation of Nepalese women in mainstream decision-making spaces has been minimal. During the Panchayat era (1961 AD – 1990 AD), only three seats were reserved for women. After the First People’s Movement (Jana Andolan – I) and the restoration of democracy in 1990 AD, women began to organize and voice their concerns, leading to an increase in the parliamentary quota for women to 5%. However, women were still severely underrepresented in the cabinet, with their participation not exceeding 6% until 2007 AD. Though there were several motivational factors, the nominal presence and participation of Nepalese women in politics in early 2000s was the major driving force that encouraged Jagaran Nepal’s founding team to establish this organization and initiate the ‘WOMEN IN POLITICS’ movement.

Structural and systemic barriers; including pervasive patriarchy, personal interests, and inadequate capacity, hindered women’s participation in decision making spaces in areas concerning politics, governance and economy. When Jagaran Nepal was established, discussions about women’s
representation in politics were rare. In spite of facing challenges initially, from both public and political leadership, Ms. Karki and her team were pioneers in advocating for this issue. Through persistent advocacy and lobbying, coupled with sustained efforts to empower and capacitate women; the agenda of improving women’s political participation was gradually adopted by mainstream political parties and other contemporary organizations, making Jagaran Nepal’s issues a national issue over time.

Since its inception in 2002 AD, a major milestone in Jagaran Nepal’s history was observed after 13 years of continuous work, with the promulgation of the Constitution of Nepal in 2015. The new constitution provisioned equality before the law and guaranteed the right of women to proportionate participation in all state bodies. The constitution mandated at least one-third (33%) representation of women in federal and provincial parliaments and a 40% representation at the local level. Similarly, by this time, significant advancements were also achieved in terms of women’s representation within the political parties. Women’s representation on aggregate increased from a mere 6% to 22% within the party structures by 2015 AD, marking a considerable achievement for the women’s rights movement in Nepal. Jagaran Nepal, alongside other women’s rights organizations, played a crucial role in this success through relentless advocacy and collective pressure to include women in decision-making processes in
all spears of the society.

However, true equal representation has yet to be realized. The movement, in the last two decades, has been able to increase the participation of women in public and political spaces. Nonetheless, many obstacles still persist that prevent women that are in decision-making positions from exercising their authority effectively. Deep-rooted patriarchy, inadequate capacity and lack of access to knowledge and information to deliver on their mandates, and various contemporary challenges such as climate justice, food insecurity etc. that disproportionately impact women are still hindering their ability to actively contribute and deliver on their roles.

Jagaran Nepal remains dedicated to advancing the women’s rights movement, particularly focusing on women’s right to actively participate and make meaningful contribution in political and public spheres. Over the past two decades, significant progress has been made in women’s rights, which would have been unimaginable 20 years ago. Yet, further action is required to achieve the organization’s vision of a “just, peaceful society with gender equality.” Jagaran Nepal is committed to continuing its efforts toward this vision while simultaneously addressing the evolving and complex issues faced by women in an ever changing world