KATHMANDU: The Government of Nepal (GoN) and the World Bank (WB) together launched the Institutionalizing Gender-Based Violence Response in Federal Nepal Project on Tuesday.

Issuing a joint statement, the GoN and the WB said that the project was jointly launched by Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens, Bhagbati Chaudhary and World Bank’s Country Director for the Maldives, Nepal, and Sri Lanka, Faris Hadad-Zervos.

According to the World Bank, the three-year project will help increase women’s and girls’ access to multisectoral gender-based violence (GBV) response services such as legal aid, psychosocial counseling, and medical support in six municipalities in Koshi and Lumbini provinces. It aims to benefit 49,000 women and girls who have experienced violence through better access to quality services.

 “Addressing gender-based violence is a priority for the government of Nepal. This project will help establish a functioning coordination system to link GBV response mechanisms at the municipal, provincial, and federal levels,” said Bhagbati Chaudhary, Minister for Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.

 The project is financed by a $4.6 million grant from the State and Peacebuilding Trust Fund and will be implemented by the Ministry of Women, Children, and Senior Citizens.

 The project will help strengthen institutional frameworks and capacity, pilot innovative GBV service models with a focus on improving service coverage and quality, and promote behavior change among first responders and local stakeholders for improved GBV response, the statement added.

 “This project will help empower women and girls to readily access GBV services, report violence, and seek help, especially in the most remote and hard to reach areas. This is key to supporting Nepal’s development that is green, resilient, and inclusive,” said Faris Hadad-Zervos.

 The Government of Nepal and the World Bank signed the financing agreements for the project on April 24, 2024.