Kathmandu, March 26

A two-day international conference of Members of Parliament from 13 countries of the Asia-Pacific Region concluded in the capital by issuing Kathmandu Declaration yesterday.

The MPs had gathered in Kathmandu to discuss the importance of designing and implementing laws and policies to promote accountability and accelerate collective efforts both nationally and sub-regionally to end early, child, and forced marriage.

Recognising early, child, and forced marriage as a grave violation of fundamental human rights and a severe form of violence against children, the MPs endorsed the declaration.

They have expressed commitment to ensuring that all participating countries adopt and implement a comprehensive and harmonised set of laws that establish the minimum age for marriage at no lower than age 18, for all genders, define child marriage in accordance with international standards, and end impunity for early, child, and forced marriage.

“We pledge to increase active and meaningful participation of women and girls in civic, political, and social life, and provide for free and compulsory school enrollment and attendance, incorporating comprehensive sexuality and reproductive health education for all, and developing alternative and vocational programs to reach children who are no longer in formal education,” read a summary of the declaration.

To achieve these commitments, the parliamentarians committed to fostering collaboration, partnerships and interdependence among branches of government, and creating and supporting partnerships between government, political parties, regional and national human rights institutions, local community leaders, faith communities, civil society organisations, non-governmental organisations, and inter-governmental and donor organisations, with the aim of creating holistic, effective, and sustainable solutions to the root causes of early, child, and forced marriage.

The full declaration was made available at the closing session of the conference and on AFPPD’s official website.

South Asia Parliamentarians’ Meeting on Child Marriage was jointly organised by the Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development and the Nepalese Forum of Parliamentarians on Population and Development with financial support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade of Australia and South Asia Regional Office of International Planned Parenthood Federation.