The Women and Constitution-Building Initiative in Nepal was initiated in June 2008 in the spirit of a newly formed Constitution Assembly which saw the election of a high percentage of women.

International IDEA, together with its partners, identified a need for a greater understanding of how a constitution affects women’s lives and how women can contribute to the process of making a new constitution. Strategies were needed to support the creation of an inclusive political environment in a crucial period of Nepal’s history.

The initiative aims to develop knowledge resources to support a gender-inclusive process and a gender sensitive constitution; establish a connection with international experts (cross-party and across all age groups); and facilitate dialogue between key stakeholders working on constitution-building with a gender perspective.

A Gender Folder: Toolkit for Constituent Assembly Members is the key knowledge tool for International IDEA’s Women and Constitution-Building Initiative in Nepal and entails dissemination of Discussion Papers throughout the constitution-making process with the aim of highlighting significant issues related to the constitution from a gender perspective.