Discussions with Nepal Leaders Highlight Infertility, Assisted Reproduction and Surrogacy Issues

The Center for Reproductive Rights regularly brings together leading stakeholders to discuss and advance pressing reproductive rights and health issues.  

In Nepal, the Center’s Asia team recently organized and participated in several meetings in Kathmandu to discuss infertility, assisted reproduction and surrogacy issues with human rights experts, members of Nepal’s Parliament and Ministry of Health and Population and other participants.

Assisted Reproductive Technology: Consultative Meeting with the Nepal Parliamentary Committee 

Chaired by Hon’ble Jayanti Rai, Chairperson of Legislative Management Committee (Nepal National Assembly), this interactive meeting, held June 17 with members of Nepal’s Parliament, featured: 

• A keynote address by Hon’ble Justice Sapana Pradhan Malla, sitting judge of Supreme Court of Nepal.   
• Nepalese Supreme Court judge Hon’ble Sapana Pradhan Malla, who spoke about the legal frameworks and jurisprudence for assisted reproductive technologies, including surrogacy, from a rights-based perspective.  
• Prabina Bajracharya, the Center’s Associate Director of Program Operations and Administration for Asia, who examined human rights-based approaches to assisted reproductive technology and surrogacy. 

“At this meeting, Parliamentarians participated in a comprehensive, first-of-its-kind consultation unpacking legal issues around infertility, assisted reproduction and surrogacy,” said Bajracharya. “Further, there was consensus among the Parliamentarians about the need to examine, analyze, study and research these issues and work to develop legal and regulatory drafts.”

Parliamentarians and Center leaders discussed assisted reproductive technology from a rights-based perspective at the June 17 meeting. —©Center for Reproductive Rights

Infertility and Assisted Reproduction: Consultative Meeting Human Rights Experts and Members of Nepal’s Ministry of Health and Population 

At this consultative meeting on June 20, high-level government officials and human rights experts examined issues in infertility and assisted reproduction through the lenses of women’s rights and human rights.  

The meeting featured: 

• Hon’ble Tapa Bahadur Magar, Chairperson, National Human Right Commission (NHRC), and chief guest of the meeting.  
• Hon’ble Jaya Ghimire, member, National Women Commission, and guest of the meeting.  
• Keynote speech by Dr. Renu Adhikari, Chair of the National Alliance of Women Human Rights Defenders (NAWHRD), who spoke about her experience on infertility and assisted reproduction from a women’s rights lens. 
• Prabina Bajracharya, the Center’s Associate Director of Program Operations and Administration for Asia, who highlighted the human rights framework on infertility, assisted reproduction and surrogacy. 
• Dr. Shree Adhikari, Director of Maternity Hospital, who spoke about the efforts of the Ministry of Health and Population to address and regulate assisted reproduction.  
• Participants including the Secretary of the NHRC and other officials from national human rights institutions. 
• Sabin Shrestha, Executive Director, Forum for Women, Law and Development (FWLD), who concluded the program. 

High-level government officials and human rights experts examined issues in infertility and assisted reproduction at the June 20 consultative meeting. —©Center for Reproductive Rights

Adolescent SRHR: Presentation on Mapping Study  

The Center’s Asia team also held an event focused on adolescent sexual and reproductive health and rights. In collaboration with its partner, Youth-led Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Advocacy Nepal (YoSHAN), the Center organized a July 7 meeting to present findings from a new study mapping the impact of age-mate consensual sexual activities among adolescents in Nepal.  

The event was chaired by Prabina Bajracharya, the Center’s Associate Director of Program Operations and Administration for Asia. Rup Narayan Shrestha, Legal Expert from Avenue Law Firm; Anand Tamang, Ethical Expert and Director of CREHPA; and Pushpa Joshi, Lead Investigator, were distinguished guests of the event.  

Highlights of the event included:

• Welcome remarks and study highlights by Prabhakar Shrestha, the Center’s Senior Legal Adviser for Asia. 
• Key findings from the study, presented by YoSHAN co-founder Pushpa Joshi. 
• Feedback session for participants.   
• Question and answer session. 
• Concluding remarks by Prabina Bajracharya. 

Commenting on the feedback session, Bajracharya said, “We thank participants for sharing their valuable insights based on their lived experiences and legal expertise.”

The July 7 event was organized in collaboration with the Center’s partner, Youth-led Sexual and Reproductive Health Rights Advocacy Nepal (YoSHAN), and welcomed feedback from participants. —©Center for Reproductive Rights