External Stakeholder Consultation Workshop on Social and Gender Integration Plan (SGIP)

Rajendra Thanju Quality Assurance Manager MCA-Nepal, presenting at the event.

On 21 November 2019, MCA-Nepal organized a half-day stakeholder consultation workshop on SGIP for the Electricity Transmission Project and Road Maintenance Project.  The objectives were to get feedback from the concerned agencies, build ownership and finalize the SGIP document.  

Troy Kofroth, Resident Country Director of MCC, talking about MCC’s Compact and the projects MCA-Nepal is working for.

Mr. Troy E. Kofroth, Resident Country Director, MCC welcomed the participants. Ms. Shalini Tripathi, Deputy Executive Director (Management), MCA-Nepal presented briefly on the Compact and the MCA-Nepal projects. She also highlighted SGIP’s significance in the Compact for which she requested critical feedback and inputs from participants. Ms. Yesiareg Dejene, Gender and Social Inclusion Director, MCC, Washington DC presented on MCC’s approach to gender and social inclusion where she shared Gender Policy 2011 and Operation Documents of MCC which requires gender and social analysis at all stages to inform Compact design. She also presented briefly on the key findings of Social and Gender Assessment Reports of Nepal which provided the base for SGIP. GSI Specialists for MCA-Nepal Ms. Kalawati Rai and Mr. Tara Gnyawali presented the action plans with regard to social and gender inclusion in the different sub-projects inside the Compact.

Ms. Yeshiarege Degene, the Director of GSI at MCC, USA presenting her findings on GSI status of Nepal.

The discussion session in the workshop gave an opportunity to all participants to put forth their views and share their expertise. Participants shared good practices and provided feedbacks on ways to make women and disadvantaged group participate and create opportunities in the project. Mr. Khadga Bahadur Bisht, Executive Director, MCA-Nepal delivered the closing remarks and thanked the participants for their time and ensured their comments would be incorporated in the final document.  

Around 15 people took part including Ms. Sabita Pandey, Section Officer, Electricity Regulation Commission/Nepal Electricity Authority; Ms. Chetna Thapa, Director, Road Board Nepal; Mr. Ram Prasad Gauli, Officer, Road Board Nepal; Mr. Hemantaraj Ghimire, Environmentalist, Department of Energy Development; Mr. Shiva Raj Adhikari, Senior Division Engineer, Department of Road;  Ms. Subha Shrestha, Sociologist, Department of Road; Ms. Sita Duwadi, Section Officer and Gender Focal Person, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration; Ms. Balkumari Darlami, President, Shakti Samuha and Mr. Narayan Gyanwali, Chairperson, National Association of Community Electricity Users Nepal (NACEUN).

Kala Rai, GSI specialist MCA-Nepal presenting about the action plans with regard to social and gender inclusion in the different sub-projects inside the Compact.