Republica

KATHMANDU, Sept 17: For the first time in its 21-year history, the Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Associations of Nepal (FWEAN), the umbrella organization of women entrepreneurs across the country, held discussions with development partners on Monday.

In an event held in Lalitpur, president of the FWEAN Shova Gyawali said that the federation is working towards the goal of ensuring that the voice of women entrepreneurs is heard in major decision-making processes at all levels of government and discussed that the cooperation of all sectors is indispensable to achieve such a goal. 

President Gyawali also lauded the assistance from the development partners in operating all the programs till date. “We are grateful for the invaluable support of our development partners,” she said, “Your contribution has been instrumental in driving the progress we have made so far. We are sure that this cooperation will continue in the future.”

Adding that implementing the “Nine E” is a priority during her tenure, President Gyawali said that the federation will run programs focused on green energy next year. Highlighting the achievement of expansion of FWEAN with 18 more chapters during her tenure, she expressed her gratitude to all those who supported the federation to accomplish such a feat.

The program was attended by the Chief Minister of Bagmati Province, Bahadur Singh Lama, Pakistani Ambassador to Nepal, Abrar H Hashmi, British Ambassador to Nepal, Rob Fenn, United Nations Women Representative for Nepal Patricia Fernandez-Pacheco, ILO Nepal Director Numan Ozkan, GIZ Nepal Chief Paulina Campos and IDI Executive Director Umesh Gupta and representatives of other partner organizations.

Sharing his opinion in the program, the British Ambassador to Nepal Fenn said that industrial and entrepreneurship development is crucial for the overall development of Nepal. “The FWEAN plays an important role in the development and sustainability of women entrepreneurs,” he said, “The embassy looks forward to working with the federation in the future as well.”

The federation, which is celebrating its 21st annual general meeting, has so far expanded its branches to 69 districts. President Gyawali says that the federation, which has about 5,500 members, has set a goal to expand its branches to all 77 districts in the near future. The FWEAN has been strongly advocating for rights of women entrepreneurs to be heard and understood in the policy-making and decision-making process at the national and international levels.