“Commitment to invest in CFLG”

Kathmandu: Participants have laid emphasis on civil society's role in advancing child-friendly local governance. An interaction focused on Child-Friendly Local Governance (CFLG) concluded Tuesday, underscoring the commitment of various stakeholders to advance child rights and child-friendly initiatives in Nepal. At the event, various agencies and development partners also expressed their commitment to invest in and promote CFLG. The event was chaired by Suman Dahal, Joint Secretary of the Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA) where Mukunda Niraula, Secretary of MOFAGA, was the Chief Guest. The programme saw participation from subject ministries, the Director of the National Planning Commission, representatives from the Ministry of Education Science and Technology, UNICEF, ILO, numerous Civil Society Organizations (CSOs), and international development partners such as World Vision International Nepal, Plan International, TDH Switzerland, KDH, GNI, Good Shepherd International, SPCS N, and JCYCN, among others. On the occasion, Under Secretary of MOFAGA, Resham Kandel, provided an overview of CFLG, highlighting its inception in 2011 and its progress and challenges before and after the implementation of the federal structure. He emphasized the role of local governments in revitalizing the campaign and the significant obstacles in gathering precise data on CFLG interventions. The programme included detailed presentations covering several key areas. Presentations on laws, policies, and procedures outlined the CFLG strategy 2068, CFLG procedure 2068, and CFLG declaration procedure 2079. Discussions on implementation effects showcased contributions to infrastructure development, child rights, effective child club functions, increased awareness, budget allocations for the child sector, and human resource development. Major challenges highlighted included ensuring collaboration, technical support, sustaining popularity, ownership, and adoption by local governments in periodic planning. Simi larly, Secretary of MOFAG, Niraula, acknowledged the ongoing efforts in child rights and highlighted persistent gender discrimination issues that impede progress. He stressed the need for practical policy development and implementation to ensure equitable investment in girls' education, reaffirming the government's commitment to supporting development partners and stakeholders in amplifying the CFLG campaign. Likewise, UNICEF/ Empowered Women Prosperous Nepal (EWPN) representative Thakur Dhakal called for an integrated approach to the CFLG campaign, pledging support for the government's efforts. World Vision International emphasized the necessity of strategic endorsement by the cabinet and coordination across different government tiers. Save the Children announced plans to adopt an integrated programming approach over the next five years, aiming to meet CFLG indicators in at least 40 local governments across Madhes and Karnali provinces. The programme featured discussions on various contributions from dev elopment partners. ILO highlighted the need for a robust data management system to generate evidence on child labor and CFLG while Plan International focused on early childhood development (ECD) and education-related indicators. The Ministry of Education stressed the importance of setting intersectionality-focused indicators. Representatives from the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens shared insights on their ongoing support from development partners for children's well-being and upcoming initiatives like the Child Marriage National Strategy 2081 and the drafting of child funds. Presentations from Tilottam Poudel, President of JCYCN and Social Protection Civil Society Network (SPCSN), and Ashok Khanal, Coordinator of the Child-Friendly Local Governance National Forum, emphasized civil society's role in advancing child-friendly local governance. World Vision International representative Shyam Adhikari emphasized the necessity of strategic endorsement by the cabinet and coordination across diff erent government tiers. During the event, 50 attendees (from CSOs, UN agencies, line ministries, and government agencies) discussed intensively and appealed to the Nepal government to increase the portion of the investment for children and CFLG. They highlighted the need to bring a new CFLG strategy, allocate a child budget code for children's budget in the federal level budget, and emphasized that SPCSN and the NCFLG forum are providing technical support to adopt the CFLG framework in 32 local governments of Madhes, Karnali, and Far Western Province of Nepal under the portfolio of Empowered Women Prosperous program Nepal funded by UNICEF Nepal. Source: National News Agency Nepal