Press Releases
US Ambassador and Election Commissioner Open Women’s Leadership Academy
July 1, 2008 नेपालीमा
U.S. Ambassador Nancy J. Powell and Election Commissioner Ms. Usha Nepal opened the Women’s Leadership Academy today at a ceremony at the Kathmandu City Hall.
The Women’s Leadership Academy, which is being developed by the National Democratic Institute, will provide courses on the constitution drafting process and the fundamentals of democratic politics to newly elected women in the Constituent Assembly, political party leaders, civil society leaders and staff members. Participants will develop skills to better represent their constituents including advocacy, negotiation and policy development. The United States government, through the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), will provide US $1.8 million to the academy over the next two years.
Addressing the Academy’s future beneficiaries Ambassador Powell observed, "I am honored to stand among you and express the support of the US Government to the Women’s Leadership Academy. Your commitment to public service is an inspiration to women everywhere. With your initiative and conviction you have helped bring Nepal to this historic point, and with your resolve and hard work you will lead Nepal through this remarkable transition."
Upon completion of the Leadership Academy program, participants will be assisted in conducting community dialogues and developing constituency service strategies in their districts. Support will be provided to the Inter-party Women’s Alliance to open new Alliance offices in 33 districts, advocate for women’s concerns in drafting the new constitution and hold mock parliament sessions led by women politicians to foster local level debate on constitutional issues. The program is expected to benefit approximately 750 women leaders including parliamentarians, local political party leaders, and civil society leaders.
For 57 years the American people, through USAID, have provided assistance to the people of Nepal in the areas of peace building, democracy and governance, health and family planning, economic growth, and humanitarian aid. The US Government will provide more than $70 million in foreign assistance to the people of Nepal this year.
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Speech by Ambassador Powell during the opening of the Women's Leadership Academy, Kathmandu City Hall, July 1, 2008
Members of the Constituent Assembly, Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen,
Thank you to all the women members of the Constituent Assembly who have joined us here today. I am honored to stand among you and express the support of the US Government to the Women’s Leadership Academy. Your commitment to public service is an inspiration to women everywhere. With your initiative and conviction, you have helped bring Nepal to this historic point, and with your resolve and hard work you will lead Nepal through this remarkable transition.The transformation of Nepal over the last two years from a kingdom in the middle of a civil war to a young republic preparing to draft a new constitution has been momentous. You are now poised to rewrite the document that will define your country, establish multi-party democracy and kick-off an era of opportunity for social and political change that has no precedent in Nepali history.
All of you, and all the people of Nepal, should rightly be proud of the progress that has been made. You should also be excited and conscious of the huge responsibilities that have been laid on your shoulders.
You are all breaking new ground and there will be many challenges ahead. As we have seen since April 10, the road ahead is not as easy or smooth as many anticipated. But I know you are up to the task, because you have already faced and surmounted many challenges to get to the Constituent Assembly. Indeed, the goal of the Women’s Leadership Academy is not to make you leaders, for you are already leaders.
Rather, the purpose behind the Women’s Leadership Academy is to hone the specific and technical skills required to negotiate the complex political processes underway in Nepal. It is my hope that the Academy will support your role in Nepal’s political transition by strengthening your ability to represent your constituents well and to play an active role in drafting the new constitution.
But perhaps more fundamentally, I hope that the programs offered under the USAID-supported Women’s Leadership Academy will give you the tools you need to make the aspirations of the Nepali people come true.
The real job of a politician is to be a facilitator; someone who can understand the needs of the people and then meet them through well thought-out policies and programs. That doesn’t mean just making speeches. It means delivering on promises. It means finding the money to dig a well, or identify a doctor to work in a rural health post. It means convincing two communities to work together on a micro-hydro project that neither village could afford alone.
What I hope this program will offer are ways to help you meet the needs of your constituents outside the walls of the International Convention Center. Not just help on writing a new and inclusive constitution for Nepal, but help in making Nepal new and inclusive. That is your job. It is huge. It is daunting. And I have no doubt that you will do your best and that you will succeed.
I would like to close with the poem, Silence, by Anasuya Sengupta - then a 15 year old student – which was written back in 1995 when American First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton visited South Asia. It sits next to my desk as an inspiration in my work. I hope you will also find it valuable.
Too many women in too many countries
Speak the same language
Of silence.
My grandmother was always silent,
Always aggrieved,
Only her husband had the cosmic right
(or so it was said)
To speak and be heard.
They say it is different now.
(After all, I am always vocal
And my grandmother thinks
I talk too much)
But sometimes I wonder.
When a woman gives her love,
As most women do, generously,
It is accepted.
When a woman shares her thoughts,
As some women do, graciously,
It is allowed.
When a woman fights for power,
As all women would like to,
Quietly or loudly,
It is questioned.
And yet, there must be freedom,
If we are to speak.
And yes, there must be power,
If we are to be heard.
And when we have both
(freedom and power)
Let us not be misunderstood.
We seek only to give words
To those who cannot speak
(too many women in too many countries)
I seek to only to forget
The sorrows of my grandmother's silence.
Good luck, and thank you.