National Indigenous Women’s Federation (NIWF)

Established in 1999 and legally registered in 2000 A.D. with the District Administration Office (DAO) and the Social Welfare Council (SWC), Nepal, NIWF is the umbrella organization of Indigenous Women's Organization of Nepal. Despite the strong indigenous movement feminist movement during 1980 and during the 1990 in Nepal, Indigenous women and their distinct experiences were yet to be recognized. NIWF came to life to establish the reality of women as heterogeneous group and address the diversity within women. Since then, NIWF has been continuously working to protect and promote the women’s rights focusing on gender equality through equity in one hand, and fight for the distinct identity of indigenous women within the women’s movement in the other hand. NIWF’s headquartered is in Kathmandu metropolitan city 10, buddha Nagar Kathmandu. It is right based national umbrella organization of 50 distinct indigenous women’s organization, 7 province co-ordination council and 66 district co- ordination council across the country. NIWF has its General assembly (GA) sovereign body, which is convened in every three years. In GA, there shall be one representative from each member organization who can participate in GA to elected new committee members of NIWF. The main purpose of establishing of NIWF is to safeguarding, promote and advocacy for inclusive policies and law for indigenous identity, language, culture including the rights guarantee under CEDAW and other international human rights instruments as well as human dignity and the collective right of indigenous nationalities women and girls. Since its establishment, NIWF has been working to promote social, economic, political, cultural and environmental justice, placing indigenous women and girls at the center of its advocacy and programs.