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Monday 09:00 - 17:00 Tuesday 09:00 - 17:00 Wednesday 09:00 - 17:00 Thursday 09:00 - 17:00 Friday 09:00 - 17:00

Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES Nepal)

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Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES Nepal)

As a private, non-profit institution FES is committed to the ideas and values of social democracy. Its office in Nepal has been in operation since 1995.

The Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) is a German non-profit organization founded in 1925 as a political legacy of Germany's first democratically elected President Friedrich Ebert. Central to its work are the promotion of democracy and social justice, economic and social development, strong and free trade unions, and the advocacy of human rights and gender equality. At present, FES maintains offices in over 100 countries worldwide, of which 15 are in Asia.

13/08/2025

🌏 FES Nepal Summer School 2025 has begun!

👉We’ve just opened this year’s Summer School under the theme “Geopolitics: Navigating the Global Chessboard”. Over the next four days, young professionals from across Nepal will explore the shifting global order, Nepal’s unique geopolitical position, and the strategic opportunities and challenges ahead.

📌From understanding the history and principles of Nepal’s foreign policy to examining climate diplomacy, digital geopolitics, labor migration, security, and feminist perspectives in global diplomacy — this week is about building knowledge, forging networks, and developing the skills to think critically and strategically about Nepal’s place in the world.

🙏A big thank you to our amazing participants, guest speakers, and the FES Nepal team for making this possible! ✨

📸 Photo credit: Raman Wagle

07/08/2025

📌 At the ITUC-FES Regional Workshop on Advancing the Ratification of ILO Convention No. 190 on Violence and Harassment in the World of Work, trade unions from Timor-Leste, Nepal, Maldives, Mongolia and Bangladesh reaffirmed collective commitment to end violence and harassment in the world of work.

👉 Participants agreed that despite different contexts, the challenges remain deeply rooted in systemic inequalities. The workshop echoed the need for trade unions to organise, educate and mobilise for the full ratification of C190.

✨ Trade unions are the defenders of dignity, safe spaces and decent work and hence must always stand in solidarity with all workers and promote a culture of respect and justice in the world of work. 🙏

14/07/2025

Trade unions must lead with inclusion, justice and innovation in order to transform to a just world of work. The fourth session of Building Gender just Unions reminded us:

📌 Gender justice is not optional! Building inclusive power is essential for trade unions to stay relevant.
📌 Collective bargaining must be transformative, not performative. Bringing gender justice lens to the negotiation table shifts power.
📌 Equal Pay, paid leave for care work for both men and women as well as protecting from violence at work are key bargaining agenda items for workers, with social protection being of particular relevance for informal workers.
📌 Feminist and trade union movements are stronger together, and together we can build truly intersection, future- ready unions.

10/07/2025

𝗔𝘀𝗶𝗮’𝘀 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗻 𝗦𝘂𝗽𝗽𝗹𝘆 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗗𝘂𝗲 𝗗𝗶𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲: 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗶𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗣𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿
FES Asia Regional Conference on Due Diligence—Between Compliance and Competition in Supply Chains—has explored how today’s geo-economic shifts are redrawing the map of global production, and what this means for labor, climate, gender, and security.
Asia sits at the heart of the global supply chain, with its abundance of critical resources—from energy to semiconductors to rare minerals—positioning it as a key player in building a resilient 21st-century economy. As the demand for these raw materials grows, particularly from defense and high-tech industries, power is shifting upstream in the value chain, prompting Asian countries to pursue regional industrial strategies that move beyond the outdated model of cheap labor. For these strategies to succeed—and for labor movements to seize the opportunity—greater transparency and accountability across supply chains are essential. This is where due diligence frameworks, particularly those from the EU, come in its importance. Without meaningful enforcement through supply chain data, these laws risk being reduced to empty gestures. For workers and unions, gathering reliable data for supply chains isn’t just a bureaucratic issue—it’s a matter of power.
🛠️ Stay tuned: The FES Competence Centre on the Future of Work will soon publish a primer to help labor partners navigate these disruptions and strategize for a fairer, more resilient future.
📸 Look: Conference photos from the FES Asia Regional Conference “Between Due Diligence Compliance and Competition: The Battle Over Supply Chains”

02/06/2025

👉In response to critical challenges impacting global education, Education International (EI) and its member organizations are committed to building strong, independent unions that champion the universal right to free, quality public education and decent working conditions for educators.

📝Last week, EI with support of FES Nepal hosted a workshop in Kathmandu - empowering teachers' unions to tackle pressing education issues:

• Declining public funding
• Teacher shortages
• Quality concerns in public education
• Growing inequality from privatization

📌Key focus areas included:

• Funding trends & teacher recruitment strategies
• EI’s “Go Public! Fund Education” campaign in Nepal
• Campaign planning, union rights & gender equality
• Insights into the new Education Act 2023
• Local advocacy tools & sustained action plans

🙏 We stay committed to strengthening unions and advancing the right to free, quality public education for all.

28/05/2025

🌏Integrating A Gender-Equal Perspective into Nepal’s Geopolitical and Geo-Economic Discourses

📌 Organized by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES) Nepal and Media Advocacy Group (MAG)

🎤 As Nepal navigates complex global dynamics, gender equality remains a critical, yet often overlooked component of its Geopolitical and Geo-economic strategies. A recent panel discussion brought together leaders from politics, diplomacy, and media to explore how inclusive narratives can reshape foreign policy, trade, and regional cooperation.

Panelists:
👉Dr. Bimala Rai Paudyal, Former Minister of Foreign Affairs
👉Dr. Minendra Rijal, Former Minister of Defence, Former Minister of Information and Communications & Leader, Nepali Congress
👉Ms. Sarmila Parajuli Dhakal – Former Ambassador to Oman and Spain
👉Mr. Prateek Pradhan – Senior Journalist
The session was moderated by Ms. Babita Basnet, Senior Journalist.

✨ Key takeaways:

🔸️Reframing policy through a gender lens: From foreign policy to trade, gender-sensitive policies must go beyond tokenism and aim for a structural inclusion.
🔸️ Media as a change agent: Journalists need support and training to challenge patriarchal narratives and promote gender-equitable reporting.
🔸️ Human-centered geopolitics: It is time to shift from power-centric strategies to people-centric approaches, prioritizing inclusion and equitable opportunities for all genders in global and regional engagements.
🔸️ Beyond 33%: Towards real equity: While Nepal’s constitution mandates 33% representation of women in political spaces, panelists highlighted that true equality must reflect the demographic reality where women make up over 50% of the population.
🔸️ Collaboration is key: Media, policymakers, and civil society actors must work collectively to build gender-just geopolitical and Geo-economic frameworks.

26/05/2025

📌CLASS Nepal, in collaboration with FES Nepal, recently hosted a dialogue on re-imagining Nepal’s growth model through the lens of economic justice and inclusive development.

✨The event brought together trade union leaders, policymakers, and development experts to explore innovative pathways and alternatives to the current economic paradigm and discuss how to better align policies with social justice principles.

🙏We are grateful to all the participants for their insights and commitment to building a fairer, more equitable Nepal.

09/05/2025

🌍 Call for Proposals!

The FES Gender Justice Competence Center Asia Pacific, in collaboration with UNRISD, invites proposals for a regional research study exploring how feminist principles can be effectively applied in international policy-making across the Asia-Pacific.

The study will analyse regional challenges and opportunities with a focus on case-based, context-specific, and intersectional approaches to integrating feminist perspectives into areas like trade, economic justice, development, climate justice, peace, and security. Authors will engage with diverse stakeholders and contribute to regional and global discussions on gender-just international policy-making.
🔍 We are seeking author(s) with:
• Strong background in feminist theory, international relations, or development policy
• Experience in policy-oriented research
• In-depth knowledge of the Asia-Pacific context

📅 Deadline to apply: 27 May 2025

Please include:
• A 3-page proposal with research questions, methodology, case countries and preliminary structure
• A writing Sample
• An updated CV
More information here: https://asia.fes.de/news/proposals-advancing-feminist-principles.html

06/05/2025

✨Throwback Tuesday!

🛠️
"Resilience" is the defining trait of ’s labor force. This resilient spirit is evident in migrant workers who send remittances that sustain the national economy, as well as in local laborers, entrepreneurs, and artisans who rebuild communities after earthquakes and drive both the informal and formal sectors forward. Despite economic, political, and infrastructural challenges, the Nepali labor force consistently adapts, endures, and contributes significantly to both domestic growth and global labor markets.
Moreover, they are not just economic contributors—they are cultural stewards and silent heroes of national development. Their willingness to take on any role, their deep-rooted values of hard work, and their unwavering ability to endure and adapt make them a cornerstone of Nepal’s socio-economic landscape. This enduring spirit of resilience is what keeps the country moving—quietly and steadily, with immense strength.
Content by Friedrich-Ebert-Stiftung (FES Nepal)

22/04/2025

✨ How Can Economic Development Strengthen Democracy in Nepal?

📌At our recent Economic Policy Dialogue in Pokhara, FES Nepal brought together economists, policymakers, academics, government officials, and media representatives to unpack the connections between inclusive economic growth and democratic governance.

🔍 Session I: Revamping the Discourse on Democracy and Economic Development

Amid a resurgence of trade protectionism and growing dissatisfaction with political institutions, we explored how Nepal’s economic model can better serve its democratic process. Economic stagnation and political instability have eroded investor confidence—reviving inclusive, transparent growth strategies is not just necessary, it’s urgent.

🗳️ Session II: Democratization of Policy Formulation and Law-making

For development to be truly democratic, policy making must be participatory and transparent. Speakers highlighted the need to break bottlenecks between provincial and local policy, reform weak monetary frameworks, and align political commitments with action. Citizens must co-own Nepal’s economic future.

🏛️ Session III: Economic Development Through Federalism

Despite the promise of federalism, economic power remains centralized. Fiscal decentralization is key—local and provincial governments need real autonomy to stimulate regional growth and investment. Empowering sub-national institutions with resources and authority is vital for a resilient, self-sustaining economy.

🚀 The way forward for Nepal is to reduce its over dependence on only a few trading partners, embrace e-governance and create an enabling environment for long-term infrastructural development. Strengthening democratic institutions through equitable economic policies is the path toward lasting prosperity.

02/04/2025

📢 Building Gender-Just Trade Unions: Key Takeaways from Our Discussion 💪✊

The FES Global Trade Union Project held a powerful conversation on Building Gender Just Trade Unions with incredible insights from Kate Lappin, Liesl Orr, and Marcela Arellano Villa. Trade union partners and colleagues across the globe shared their experiences and insights on gender justice and developing gender just policies. Here is what stood out:
🔹 Gender Justice = Tackling Patriarchy + Structural Power Imbalances
🔹 It’s not just one part of the work—it’s everything: governance, leadership, organizing!

💡How do we build gender just trade unions?

✅ Create dedicated spaces for women to strategize & lead
✅ Use leadership quotas & gender policies to drive real change
✅ Organize with gender justice in mind
⏰ Women-friendly meeting times
📋 Inclusive bargaining priorities
🏆 Define what real wins look like
✅ Close the pay gap
⚙️ Formalize work
🤝 Push for CBAs
💰 Demand fair pay scales
✅ Embrace new ideas
👨‍👧🤰🏽 Stronger parental rights (maternity + paternity)
🟣Consideration of reproductive lifecycle
🚫 Zero tolerance for sexual harassment
Let’s keep pushing for trade unions that work for everyone. 💥✊

01/04/2025

✨🎤 During the recent launch of FES Nepal’s Gender-Responsive Budgeting (GRB) Strategy Paper, parliamentarians and political leaders highlighted the critical importance of policymakers and elected officials thoroughly evaluating the allocation, objectives, and outcomes of GRB, especially in promoting women’s ownership of these resources.

📌GRB is a vital policy tool that ensures public financial policies and expenditures advance gender equality and sustainable development. Despite Nepal’s policy commitments to gender equality, challenges remain in integrating gender perspectives into budgetary and policy-making processes.

🏛️ The launch event also marked a key opportunity for parliamentarians, policy experts, and political party representatives to engage in constructive discussions on how GRB can drive transformative change. The event, organized in collaboration with Inter-Party Women's alliance (IPWA), aimed to equip participants with insights into the parliamentary budgetary process, complementing the findings of the GRB Strategy Paper.

🙏This initiative forms part of our ongoing political advisory work, which seeks to foster informed and inclusive policy-making processes.

Address

Sanepa, Ward No. 2, Lalitpur
Kathmandu

Opening Hours

Monday	09:00 - 17:00
Tuesday	09:00 - 17:00
Wednesday	09:00 - 17:00
Thursday	09:00 - 17:00
Friday	09:00 - 17:00

Telephone

+97715902608

Website

https://nepal.fes.de/

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Our Story

Formally established in Nepal on 2 November 1995, the Friedrich Ebert Foundation Office is located in Sanepa, Lalitpur, headed by a Resident Representative. Its activities in Nepal can be broadly classified as follows: Encouragement to the growth of democratic institutions and instruments in order to improve their capability in the formation of a democratic political culture. Promotion of dialogue on various issues concerning Nepal’s environment, decentralization and good governance, civic education, women and development, economic policies, foreign aid, social issues, consumer rights, role of NGOs and civil society and international co-operation. Improvement of labor welfare, discussion of working conditions, training on industrial relations system, health and safety for workers, labor economics, women and informal sector, organization and management, leadership training, collective bargaining and responsibilities of workers. Capacity building of mass media agencies, different departments of Tribhuvan University and local NGOs. FES has supported its partner organizations in Nepal in publishing books on matters of policy, as well as of general and academic interest. Notable among them are areas such as Nepali economy, development, foreign aid and debt, civil society, women and development, NGOs, environment, decentralization and local self-government, civic education, industrial relations, World Trade Organization (WTO), impact of globalization on Nepal, Nepal and South Asian Association for Regional Co-operation (SAARC), Nepal’s foreign policy, social development, media and democracy. Promotion of regional co-operation in South Asia in promoting regional co-operation, development and peace.