Women in Transition: Participation in Times of Change’ Nordic Talk held

The Royal Norwegian Embassy successfully held a new installment of its Nordic Talk Series at Hotel Annapurna, Kathmandu. The event entitled ‘Women in Transition: Participation in Times of Change’ was a panel discussion devoted to understanding women’s participation in politics and other related social spheres in Nepal and what lessons could be drawn from the Nordic model for enhancing this. The event had the Norwegian State Secretary, Tone Skogen as keynote speaker. The panel was inclusive of other speakers - Wenny Kusuma (Country Representative – UN Women),. Ila Sharma (Election Commissioner of Nepal) and Bhaarati Silawal – Giri (Gender and Social Inclusion Expert). The discussion was moderated by Ashutosh Tiwari (CEO – Sherpa Adventure Gear, Nepal). The Secretary of State, Tony Skogen, stressed on the kind of changes that Norway had been able to make in order to accommodate increased representation of women in positions of authority. Norway has one of the highest rates of women’s participation in the workforce in the world with 77 percent, though a number of them are part-time workers. In 2003, Norway introduced quotas requiring companies to ensure that at least 40 percent of all board members are female. This goal was reached in 2008. The Secretary stressed that the key to the Nordic concept of democracy was the idea of achieving a gender balance in terms of access to power in society. This meant ensuring that women and men had equal access to positions and areas where power is exerted, such as politics, organisations and the business sector.