Scaling the summit for women’s rights: From local to global and global to local (p.21) Bandana RanaFinding your voice and identity for many women in South Asia, including Nepal, is like climbing Mt. Everest, the highest peak in the world—not an easy task with deeply embedded patriarchal values and gender norms. Violence against women, particularly domestic violence, is the biggest deterrent to women’s advancement and development. However, with support from a vibrant women’s movement and civil society activism, scaling this mountainous hurdle can be possible. This article examines both the challenges that women in Nepal face and the progress that women’s rights groups have achieved in promoting gender equality in that country. Through both personal and systemic reflections, world-renown women’s rights activist Bandana Rana presents her journey for gender equality from the local to the global and back.Tradition, development, and gender equality: Addressing the incoherences through collective action (p.32) Tara LipovinaThis article addresses gender coherence for development, defined as transformative development that addresses systemic power differences that discriminate against women. Following the contribution from Bandana Rana, this scientific article reflects on challenges that women face in Nepal, with specific discussion of patriarchal traditions. However, the analysis notes that the development does not necessarily positively effect gender equality. Regional policies, such as the European Union’s neighborhood policies in the Western Balkans (specifically in Montenegro), and the Association of Southeast Asian Nation’s economic policies often undermine the gender equality initiatives from these regions. The article identifies collective action and norm ownership as important bases for achieving transformative development that promotes gender equality.Mujeres indígenas, desarrollo y derecho a una vida libre de violencia (p.40) Mónica Carrasco Gómez y Perla O. Fragoso LugoEn este artículo se argumenta la relevancia de la participación directa de las mujeres indígenas en la planeación, modelación, ejecución y evaluación de las políticas públicas dirigidas a ellas como una población diversa, con agendas comunes a las de las mujeres mestizas, pero también con necesidades, problemáticas y propuestas distintas e incluso diferenciadas según su propio grupo cultural. Para ello nos centramos en el abordaje de los programas gubernamentales y la literatura producida en torno al desarrollo social y al combate a la violencia de género contra las mujeres en el estado de Chiapas, la entidad con el mayor número de habitantes hablantes de una lengua indígena en México.

Nepal has experienced extraordinary political and social changes in the last 25 years. Since the Constituent Assembly (CA) election in 2008, progress has been noted in increasing women’s access to literacy, education, and healthcare services. Despite significant gender reforms in policies and strategies, Nepali women continue to experience discrimination and violence mainly because of their gender. Drawing upon six different cases – constitutional and international framework, participation of women, women peace and security, sexual and reproductive health rights, gender-responsive budget and citizenship law – this paper highlights some of the achievements and gaps in the area of gender reform policies and practices. Methodologically, the study adopts document review and personal reflections of authors as the main source of information. The paper concludes with some key recommendations to address existing challenges and gaps of these selected policies/strategies.