Who is Bidya Devi Bhandari?
Nepal's newly elected President Bidya Devi Bhandari was born in Guranse village of Bhojpur district on June 19, 1961. Born to Ram Bahadur Pande and Mithila Pandey at Manebhanjyang village of Bhojpur, a remote eastern hilly district of the country, on Asar 5, 2018BS, Bhandari completed her basic education from Behereshwor Primary School and secondary education from Bidyodaya Secondary School in the district. Her college education began from Bhojpur Campus and she earned Bachelor of Arts (BA) degree from Mahendra Morang College of Biratnagar. Her journey into communist politics had begun during her college days in Bhojpur in 2035BS, after joining the CPN-ML’s Youth League. She was elected as district representative for All Nepal National Free Students’ Union (ANNFSU) through its national convention held in Kathmandu in 2037BS. Receiving membership of the CPN-ML in 2037BS, Bhandari worked as a member of the ANNFSU’s eastern region from 2036 to 2044BS. Moreover, she became the chief of the woman department of Nepal Trade Union Federation (GEFONT) for five years from 2050BS. Nepal’s women’s movement was led by Bhandari being the Chairperson All Nepal Women’s Association in 2054BS. She was the central member of the CPN-UML from the same year. Leader Bhandari became the Vice-Chairman of the party through the eighth convention held in Butwal in 2064BS. She was married to influential communist leader Madan Bhandari in 2039BS, who died in a mysterious road accident in 2050 B.S. She is a mother of two daughters- Usha Kiran and Nisha Kushum. Bhandari was elected member of the House of Representatives defeating Krishna Prasad Bhattarai of Nepali Congress in the by-election of 2050’s general election in Kathmandu Constituency no. 1. She was elected again in the midterm election of 2051BS, and in the general election of 2056BS. Leader Bhandari played a vital role to guarantee at least 33 percent women’s representative in each State mechanism, by seconding a resolution for the same at the re-instated House of Representatives in 2063 BS. She undertook the responsibility of Defense Minister for two years from 2067BS in the critical political transition after the end of the decade long insurgency in the country. Leader Bhandari has travelled to India, China, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Brazil, the USA, Canada and Italy.
She had begun her political career from a leftist student union in late 1970s. She got membership of the then CPN-ML in 1980-81, around two years before she tied the conjugal knot with the famed Communist leader Madan Kumar Bhandari. Madan Kumar, who was later elected General Secretary of the then CPN-ML and also of the unified CPN-UML, propounded Janatako Bahudaliya Janawad (People's Multiparty Democracy), the guiding principle of today's UML. The leader is also attributed for popularising Nepal's Communist movement to a new height. But, the most popular Communist leader of the nation during the time died in a jeep accident in Dasdhunga of Chitwan on 16 May, 1993. After the yet-to-be-solved mysterious accident, which many people still believe was a murder, the seat of Member of Parliament from Kathmandu-1 was vacant. Bhandari contested in the by-election to fill the vacancy and she won the race, defeating the former Prime Minister Krishna Prasad Bhattarai of Nepali Congress. She served as a Member of the Parliament for a year. Bhandari also won two subsequent parliamentary elections from Kathmandu-2 in 1994 and 1999. In the 1994 elections, she had defeated Nepali Congress candidate Daman Nath Dhungana. Dhungana was speaker of the House of Representatives before the elections. She was a member of the Interim Parliament formed after the 2006 Janaandolan II. The UML leader was the Minister for Defence in the Madhav Kumar Nepal-led government from May 25, 2009 until February 6, 2011. Earlier in 1990s, she was once appointed the Minister for Environment and Population. She has been leading the party's sister organisation, All Nepal Women Association, for nearly two decades. She was elected Vice-Chairperson of the party from its eighth and ninth conventions in February 2009 and July 2014 respectively. She was a Central Committee member of the party since its sixth national convention in January 1998. Bhandari lost the first Constituent Assembly elections from Kathmandu-4 to Nepali Congress candidate Suprabha Ghimire in 2008. She, however, was elected to the Constitution-writing body in the second CA elections held in November 2013 under the Proportional Representation (PR) system. CPN-UML Vice-Chair Bidya Devi Bhandari has been elected the first female and second President of Federal Democratic Republic Nepal, defeating Nepali Congress veteran leader Kul Bahadur Gurung. During the election held at the Legislature-Parliament building on Wednesday, Bhandari garnered 327 votes, 28 more than 299 votes that she needed to be elected as the President. Gurung, however, accumulated 214 votes. Eight votes were declared invalid. Total 549 members had cast their votes in the election President Bidhya Devi Bhandari has stressed that achieving women’s empowerment and gender equality was the only path to justice, peace, and progress. Addressing ‘High-level Meeting on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women’ last night, she said despite the steady progress achieved in twelve critical areas of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, gaps and challenges persisted in the full realisation of women’s rights. She expressed concerns on the existing structural inequalities, further aggravated by the COVID-19 pandemic, and called for timely medical care, equal access to vaccines and robust recovery plans to address the economic and social needs of women and girls. While highlighting Nepal’s major achievements on women’s empowerment, she stated that the gender agenda had been mainstreamed as an integral part of national development. “We have strengthened law enforcement and implemented targeted interventions to end gender-based violence and discrimination. Free air-evacuation services have been provided to save the lives of the women from the remotest part of the country suffering from pregnancy and maternity-related complications. At present, women occupy 41 percent of elected offices in the federal, provincial and local governments and over 24 per cent in civil service. Total 83 per cent of women in Nepal are in the labour force,” she said. “These achievements are attained through long struggle and persistent constructive efforts. We can achieve the objectives of the Beijing Declaration by removing gender stereotypes, rectifying long-standing inequalities and matching our commitments with action at national, regional and international levels. The movement of women’s empowerment must continue till we achieve full and substantive equality. We remain committed to eliminating remnants of discrimination,” she added. President Bhandari also underlined the need to match commitments with action at national, regional and international levels. The meeting was held under the theme ‘Accelerating the Realisation of Gender Equality and Empowerment of all Women and Girls’ on the margins of the 75th Session of UN General Assembly. As many as 175 leaders including 42 heads of state/government, five vice-presidents, and 111 ministers spoke on the occasion. President Bidhya Devi Bhandari said Gautam Buddha’s teachings became popular worldwide as he showed the path of peace, non-violence and compassion to all humans. Addressing the special ceremony organised to mark the 14th anniversary of Lumbini Buddhist University in Lumbini today, she said Gautam Buddha was all Nepali citizens’ pride. The president viewed that we could get peace and happiness if we internalised the teachings and guiding principles of Budhha. She also stressed the need to promote world peace, brotherhood, friendship and goodwill. She hoped that the Lumbini Buddhist University would soon be developed into an international centre for teaching Buddhist philosophy and literature. She said it was necessary to promote Lumbini as major tourist destination for the prosperity of the country. Bhandari also pointed out to the need for the under-construction Gautam Buddha International Airport to provide quality service to the visitors coming to visit Lumbini and help for the promotion of the birthplace of the apostle of peace. The president also performed puja at Mayadevi temple of Lumbini. On the occasion, Minister for Culture, Tourism and Civil Aviation Rabindra Adhikari informed of the decision of the Lumbini Development Fund to provide five per cent of its income for the development of the university. “The government is preparing to make this university established fourteen years ago a hub for the entire world for academic and research purposes,” he said. Similarly, speaking at the ceremony, Province 5 Chief Umakant Jha said Lumbini Buddhist University would help promote Buddhism worldwide. The president also conferred special honour on former vice-chancellor Prof Nareshman Bajracharya, Prof Triratna Bajracharya and former registrar Pitambar Lal Yadav and three experts of Buddhism.
Statement by the President of Nepal, Right Honourable Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari, at the High-level Meeting on the Twenty-Fifth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women (Beijing+25)
Mr. President, Excellency the Secretary General of the United Nations, Distinguished Delegates I begin by thanking you, Mr. President, for convening this historic meeting to mark the Twenty-fifth Anniversary of the Fourth World Conference on Women. Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action serves as a transformative blueprint for gender equality and empowerment of women and girls. Despite a steady progress achieved in twelve critical areas of Beijing Declaration, it will take time to fully realize those commitments. Structural gaps and challenges still persist in society. COVID-19 pandemic has risked further aggravating inequalities. We should not let the pandemic stall our progress. Ensuring timely medical care, equal access to vaccines and robust recovery plans that take care of the economic and social needs of women and girls are necessary. This will be a test for the decade of action on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and achieving of the SDG 5. Nepal is a state party to major human rights instruments including the CEDAW. We have mainstreamed gender agenda as an integral part of national development by integrating them in the Constitution and laws. We have strengthened law enforcement and implemented targeted interventions to end gender-based violence and discrimination. Free air evacuation services have been provided to save the lives of the women from the remotest part of the country suffering from pregnancy and maternity-related complications. At present, women occupy 41 percent of elected offices in federal, provincial and local governments and over 24 percent in civil service. Total 83 percent of women in Nepal are in labour force. These achievements are attained through long struggle and persistent constructive efforts. We can achieve the objectives of the Beijing Declaration by removing gender stereotypes, rectifying long-standing inequalities and matching our commitments with action at national, regional and international levels. The movement of women's empowerment must continue till we achieve full and substantive equality. We remain committed to eliminate remnants of discrimination and plug the implementation gaps.
Excellencies,
To conclude, I would like to emphasize that gender equality is essential and important right for the continuity of life and the world. It is the only path to justice, peace, and progress. This historic occasion is an opportunity to reaffirm our resolve to end barriers in the way of realizing all inherent potentials of women. Thank you.
Profile of Right Honourable President Bidya Devi Bhandari
Present: Mrs. Bidya Devi Bhandari is the second president of Nepal after Nepal adopted the democratic-republican system. She is the first female president to be elected by the parliament on 28 October 2015 after the promulgation of the new constitution. Similarly, she was elected for her second term on 13 March 2018 after successful completion of her first term.
Childhood.
President Bhandari was born in a middle-class farmer family to parents Late Ram Bahadur Pandey and mother Mithila Pandey. Born on 19 June 1961, in Manebhanjyang of Bhojpur, a hilly district in Eastern Nepal, she is the eldest of five siblings. She had a humble upbringing and she faced all obstacles and hardships a normal Nepali middle-class child faces.
Student Life and Politics
Mrs. Bhandari completed her school level education in Bhojpur and pursued her higher education in Biratnagar, Morang. Her early student life in the hills of Bhojpur was an important stage in her life when seeds of revolution and change were sown in a budding mind. She concluded that a progressive society can never be imagined without democracy and freedom. By that time, she was well acquainted with the hardships of Nepali society which encouraged her to devote herself in the leftist democratic movement against the autocratic Panchayat system. This was the advent of her long and arduous political journey. Her early affiliation to the leftist movement was marked by leading the Eastern Regional Committee of the All Nepal National Free Students Union (ANNFSU).
Married Life
Mrs. Bhandari got married to Mr. Madan Bhandari, a prominent communist leader in 2039 B.S. President Bhandari’s conjugal life lasted 11 years as her husband was killed in an unfortunate but mysterious road accident. After the untimely demise of her husband, raised two infant daughters Usha Kiran and Nisha Kusum on her own, as well as responsibly carried her political responsibilities.
Contribution to National Politics
Her organised political career started in 2036 B.S. as a member of the Youth League cadre of the Communist Party of Nepal (ML), formed in 2035 B.S., followed by the member of the All Nepal Women Association (ANWA) which was aligned to the CPN (ML). Her political journey constitutes dimensions as a student leader, women rights activist and a loyal party cadre devoted to values of democracy and freedom. Mrs. Bhandari has been incessantly contributing to ensuring women rights and raising awareness against issues of gender discrimination and oppression. In 2055 B.S. president Bhandari was elected as the president of All Nepal Women Association. During her tenure as chair of ANWA, she led different social and political movements for equal treatment of women. She was the architect behind the introduction of special parliamentary resolution for 33% reservations for women in all sectors of governance after the Constitution Assembly (CA) elections of 2062/63 B.S. which was institutionalised later in the Constitution of 2072 B.S. Her popularity and success as a political leader proven by consecutive victories in the parliamentary election in 2050 (election held for the vacant seat after the demise of popular leader Madan Bhandari), the mid-term election in 2051 B.S. and 2056 B.S. and Constituent Assembly elections in 2063 B.S. and 2070 B.S. President Bhandari also served as Minister of Environment and Population in 1997 as well as the Minister for Defense from 2010-2012. Her tenure as Minister for Defense was highlighted by the management of ex-Maoist combatants adding further impetus to the homegrown peace process which is an example to the whole world. She successfully led the formulation of the national security policy. Her arduous journey from a humble upbringing to the highest office of the country has made her a source of inspiration to all
Outstanding Achievements
Bidhya Devi Bhandari: Nepal's first female president
Elected earlier this week, President Bhandari represents welcome change in deeply patriarchal South Asian nation Bidhya Devi Bhandari, Nepal’s first female president who was elected earlier this week, has been a welcome exception in this deeply patriarchal South Asian nation, where politics has largely been considered a man’s game. Bhandari, the 54-year-old vice chairwoman of the ruling Unified Marxist-Leninist (UML) party, defeated her rival, Kul Bahadur Gurung, of the opposition Nepali Congress, becoming the second head of state since Nepal abolished its monarchy seven years ago. Bhandari was sworn in as president in a ceremony Thursday and has since moved into a colonial-style bungalow in an upscale neighborhood of capital Kathmandu. It was a remarkable achievement for Bhandari, who grew up in a rural household in a remote village of eastern Nepal before joining a leftist student organization as a teenager. She later moved to a border town in the country’s southeast to pursue her higher education, where she became a member of an underground communist party fighting against the autocratic pro-monarchy Panchayat regime. Bhandari married fellow communist leader Madan Bhandari, who drew a large following for his oratory skills. The union, however, served to temporarily suspend her political career, largely confining her to household responsibilities. After the death of her husband in a car accident in 1993, she emerged from the shadows as a popular orator in her own right, thus beginning an unlikely political career. The UML party fielded her in the constituency left vacant by her husband’s death, and she surprised everyone by defeating her rival, a former prime minister from the Nepali Congress party. Since then, her political career has seen an upward trajectory: in the mid-1990s she became minister for environment and population. In mid-term polls held in 1999, she defeated a former parliamentary speaker of the Nepali Congress. One decade later, as the former Maoist rebels laid down their arms and joined mainstream politics following a 10-year insurgency, she was appointed defense minister in a government led by her party. Bhandari’s detractors have attributed her political ascendance to a wave of sympathy she garnered following her husband’s death. Pradeep Gyawali, a UML spokesman, however, says this is only partly true. "It’s because of her determination and dedication to the political causes championed by her party," Gyawali told Anadolu Agency. "One cannot just ride on a sympathy wave and become a leader. Such kindness doesn’t last long. She has risen despite personal tragedies," he said. Women's rights Bhandari -- a close ally of the country’s new prime minister, KP Sharma Oli -- has also long been at the forefront of Nepal’s women’s rights movement. Often dressed in traditional Nepali attire, Bhandari, the mother of two daughters, was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2005. She was cured of the disease, however, after receiving treatment in India. In 2007, she was elected vice chairwoman of the UML, becoming one of only a handful of female leaders to hold such a key position in a Nepali political party. Gyawali describes Bhandari as a leader who easily assimilated with her grassroots cadres -- and one who looked out for them. "She carries the legacy of her late husband and is very popular," he said. While Nepal’s presidency is a largely ceremonial five-year posting, Bhandari will face the challenges associated with implementing a new constitution. "Our society has been polarized due to ongoing protests. So her first challenge is to play a constructive role in uniting the country," Gyawali said. Nepal has recently been shaken by weeks of protests by various ethnic groups upset with the terms of the new national charter, especially those concerning the demarcation of federal states. Government negotiators have held talks with the protesters, but have largely failed to make headway, with both groups blaming each other for the deadlock. Xi Jinping Speaks with Nepali President Bidya Devi Bhandari on the Phon Xi Jinping pointed out that since the onset of the pandemic, China and Nepal have firmly supported each other in fighting against the coronavirus disease, and carried out in-depth anti-pandemic cooperation, which has highlighted the spirit of sticking together through thick and thin. Recently, the South Asia is undergoing a new wave of infections and Nepal is facing severe challenges. The Chinese central and local governments as well as non-governmental organizations were among the first to take actions, offering much-needed medical supplies and equipment as well as vaccines to Nepal, and sharing with the Nepali side experience in pandemic prevention, control, diagnosis and treatment. China will continue providing as much support as possible for Nepal's fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and believes the Nepali people will surely win the final victory over the virus. Xi Jinping stressed that President Bidya Devi Bhandari and I jointly announced the new height of Mount Qomolangma in December last year. China attaches great importance to the development of China-Nepal relations, and is willing to share China's development opportunities with Nepal to accelerate Belt and Road cooperation, steadily advance the building of the trans-Himalayan Multi-Dimensional Connectivity Network, and continuously lift the two countries' strategic partnership of cooperation featuring ever-lasting friendship for development and prosperity to higher levels. Xi Jinping stressed that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the lawful seat of the People's Republic of China in the United Nations. China will not forget Nepal's valuable support, and will, as always, support Nepal in safeguarding national sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, respect the Nepali people's independent choice of development path, and support Nepal's economic and social development. China is willing to work with Nepal to intensify coordination and cooperation within multilateral frameworks, firmly uphold multilateralism, and safeguard the common interests of developing countries.
Bhandari, on behalf of the Nepali government and people, warmly congratulated the Communist Party of China (CPC) on its 100th anniversary of founding, saying that under the strong leadership of the CPC, China has made remarkable achievements in economic and social development, especially in poverty alleviation and outer space exploration. She expressed her belief that under the leadership of the CPC, China will continue to achieve greater success on the road of peaceful development. Nepal and China are strategic partners who have been friendly for generations. Nepal attaches great importance to its relations with China, firmly adheres to the one-China policy, firmly supports China in safeguarding national sovereignty and territorial integrity, and will never allow any forces to use the Nepali territory for any anti-China activities. The Nepali side thanks China for its valuable support and assistance in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, and highly appreciates the Chinese concept of building a global community of health for all. Nepal is ready to work with China to implement the important results of President Xi Jinping's successful state visit to Nepal, and promote the continuous development of Nepal-China relations, so as to help both countries achieve common development and lasting prosperity.