Kathmandu, March 6

Speaker Onsari Gharti Magar today said proportional representation of women in all spheres of life was a must for the overall development of the country.

Speaking at an interaction on ‘Development, Equality and Participation’ organised by Annapurna Media Network on the occasion of International Women’s Day, Magar said the issue of equal representation of women was still debatable but time had proved that society with equal representation of women progressed far better than society in which women were discriminated against.

“The population of women outnumber men in our country. But their participation in the decision-making level is very negligible. Thus, we need to hold extensive discussions on gender and development issues,” she said.

Speaker Gharti further stressed on increasing the number of women in decision-making level to ensure equal representation of women in all state mechanisms. “We now have a very progressive constitution.

Hence, this is the right time to implement the principle of proportional inclusion and set an example across the globe,” she said, adding that political stability in the country would facilitate implementation of various provisions of the new constitution.

Bimala Rai Paudyal, former member of the National Planning Commission, said women’s equality should not be a standalone goal in Sustainable Development Goal but should be mainstreamed into all other goals with specific indicators and targets.

“Women are the providers and are engaged in various professions. They contribute everyday to family, society and economy. Thus, if they suffer from violence and are not given access to resources and services, they will not be able to contribute to prosperity of the country.”

Similarly, other speakers also stressed on giving women equal access to resources and opportunities.