Finland and UN Women have entered a new agreement to collaborate and support the implementation of the government's national priorities and international commitments on gender equality and women’s rights.

The agreement will support the implementation of the UN Women’s Strategic Plan (2023-2027) with a funding commitment of 4.5 million Euros (approximately Rs644 million), covering four years, Finnish Embassy in Kathmandu and UN Women said in a joint statement.

Finnish Ambassador to Nepal Riina-Riikka Heikka said the collaboration with UN Women has been built on supporting sustainable and transformative solutions to strive for social norms change.

“The storytelling initiative has been a cornerstone in our cooperation. Finland is among the main donors of UN Women and is committed to working to promote gender equality systematically and broadly. Our continued support for UN Women in Nepal is an important part of this commitment,” said Ambassador Heikka

Navanita Sinha, head of office a.i., UN Women, said the partnership would be critical in resisting the challenges to gender equality and accelerating gender justice in Nepal.

UN Women is one of Finland’s long-term cooperation partners. In 2021, Finland was the largest contributor to UN Women’s core resources, with USD 18 million.