Nepal makes progress in reproductive health and safe motherhood: Foreign Minister Rana

Kathmandu, Sept 24: Minister for Foreign Affairs Dr Arzu Rana Deuba has highlighted Nepal’s ongoing progress in reproductive health and safe motherhood.

Minister Dr Rana is presently in New York to attend the 79th session of the United National General Assembly.

Addressing a high-level meeting of women political leaders in New York on Monday, the Minister underscored Nepal’s significant progress in reproductive health and safe motherhood compared to the past.

“First of all, what I want to share is that the current Constitution of Nepal has guaranteed women’s reproductive rights and safe motherhood as fundamental rights, making it one of the few countries in Asia to have such strong legal provisions,” she apprised the meeting.

Highlighting Nepal’s progress in safe abortion as a significant achievement, she said, “While there was a past case of more than half of the 100 women being imprisoned for foeticide, no men were found guilty. We advocated and the women were released. Such a situation does not exist now as women have the right to safe abortion.”

She shared her personal experience of advocating for women’s reproductive rights. “We started a campaign for women’s reproductive rights. Under my leadership, women leaders representing Nepal’s various political parties successfully lobbied for the constitutional guarantee of safe abortion and women’s reproductive rights,” the Minister added.

Dr Rana shared their struggle for the inclusion of these legal provisions in the constitution, stating that 273 women lawmakers in the then Constituent Assembly contributed to this.

Minister Dr Rana also stated that despite its relatively small gross domestic product, Nepal has significantly made progress in its human development index, thanks in part to the prioritization of women’s reproductive rights, safe motherhood, and other related rights.