Bhutan

Moving Forward on Gender Empowerment & Protection

Background
The Royal Government of Bhutan (RGoB) realizes that gender equality and women’s participation in good governance are crucial for achieving the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). It also recognizes that violence against women is a serious obstacle for gender equality, the advancement of women and the overall socio-economic and political development of the kingdom.

Through this project the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC), the premier institution of the RGoB on issues of women and children aims to address this through:

• the adoption and implementation of the National Plan of Action for Gender (NPAG);
• preparation of Bhutan’s 7th periodic report to the UN Committee on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW);
• the sensitization and capacity building of the lawmakers and the law enforcement agencies to address violence against women, and
• the sensitization and capacity building of the women and men parliamentarians to promote women’s participation in good governance.

The NCWC will also assist RENEW (Respect, Educate, Nurture and Empower Women), a local organization providing support to victims of domestic violence to establish a support mechanism to promote and protect women rights, particularly for victims of domestic violence.

The project will support the institutional and capacity strengthening of NCWC to enable it to carry out its activities effectively.

Objectives

The project will support the RGoB in the following areas:

1. Policy development;
2. Engendering the national budget;
3. Capacity building and advocacy of key stakeholders (police, judiciary, and parliamentarians) to address violence against women and the low level political participation of women in national and local governance;
4. Institutional strengthening of the NCWC to enable it to carry out its activities effectively and of its partner, RENEW, to establish a support mechanism for victims of domestic violence.

Achievements & expected results

1. The National Plan of Action for Gender finalised;
2. Bhutan’s 7th periodic report to the CEDAW Committee prepared;
3. Capacity of the NCWC enhanced;
4. The NCWC partners and beneficiaries sensitized to address gender and women issues, particularly in the areas of governance and violence against women.

This project is expected to contribute to the reduction of barriers to women’s participation in decision-making positions and to the development of adequate procedures and mechanisms to address violence against women.