In an address to the NewBiz Business Women Summit and Awards 2021 which took place in Kathmandu on January 29, Nona Deprez, the Ambassador of the European Union (EU) to Nepal, stressed the need to empower women to build back better for themselves, their communities and societies for sustainable development and for a better world.
Emphasizing that gender equality is one of the fundamental values of the EU and, in that respect, women, and girls are always at the heart of EU action, Ambassador Deprez said, “EU actions in the field of women’s economic empowerment contribute to improving economic, societal and social resilience by recognizing women as key drivers of innovation, growth, and jobs, and by promoting a level playing field and fair competition for business and international trade. We need to do whatever we can to fight discrimination.”
- Together with the Ministry of Industry, Commerce, and Supplies (MoICS) of Nepal, the EU is implementing the EU-Nepal Trade and Investment Programme (TIP) that aims to improve the business environment and this includes making it more open and equal to women entrepreneurs
- TIP targets women’s economic empowerment as a high priority through trade capacity building and value chains in the coffee and pashmina sectors
- The European Green Deal extends to the EU’s work with its partner countries and strategies such as climate change adaptation, biodiversity, food safety and the protection of the environment are already being implemented in support of the COVID-19 recovery to address the root causes in partner countries and to build back better
- 40% of the world’s public climate finance comes from the EU, and climate change is mainstreamed in the EU’s external actions
- The EU has demonstrated its determination to lead the world towards a sustainable future with the adoption of the European Green Deal to address the threats posed by climate change
- The deal aims to improve the well-being of people through an ambitious long-term agenda by changing the way we consume, produce and live with the goal of making Europe climate-neutral by 2050
- This deal is anticipated to be the driver for the mid-and long-term recovery of the European economy post COVID-19
Highlighting that coffee farming is very labor-intensive and that women from relatively poor rural areas of Nepal are mainly engaged in these activities, the Ambassador said, “An increase in coffee production will create new jobs in Nepal, mainly in rural areas, particularly for women and youth, and therefore also redress poverty and out-migration.” She was of the view that for the pashmina sector there was an important opportunity for inclusive economic growth by developing the value chain further for export markets. This could contribute to economic development in remote parts of Nepal for women, she added.
Ambassador Deprez said that Nepal has incredible opportunities with the new constitution reorganizing the country and creating new economic prospects in the provinces, and the real possibility of graduation from being a Least Developed Country in the next three years. The country also faces enormous challenges, some shared with the rest of the world, such as recovering from the COVID-19 crisis and facing the existential threat of climate change, and others that are specific to Nepal, for example, the exclusion of many groups from the benefits of development, she added.
The COVID-19 crisis has proven to be gender-biased with a greater impact upon women-owned businesses. Women are also facing further burdens during the crisis such as a more onerous household load and an increase in gender-based violence. Stating that the path to recovery will be hard with many hurdles, especially for women, Ambassador Deprez stressed, “We need to turn this into an opportunity to rebuild back better. It is more relevant than ever in the context of the crisis to shape the coming economic recovery with women at its center. We are ‘Stronger Together’ for Building Back Better to achieve a sustainable, green, and equitable recovery.”
