Remarkable Women Powerful Stories – Bandana Rana

Bandana Rana from Nepal is a passionate lifelong advocate for women’s rights and gender equality. Her experience spans more than three decades of active engagement in the area of violence against women, gendered conflict transformation, peacebuilding and engendered media through the different organizations and networks she has founded and led. Having worked from the grassroots, national as well as global level she has broken numerous personal and professional barriers to attain her present leadership.

Her many years of dedicated work have been particularly through the two organizations she co-founded and led in Nepal – Saathi (NGO working on Violence Against Women) and Sancharika Samuha (Women’s Media Forum). She is the former chair of the National Women's Commission of Nepal.

She is a member of the UN CEDAW Committee since 2017 the first Nepali woman to be elected to this position. She was the Vice-Chair of the Committee from 2018/2020 and is the focal point for women's peace and security. She has recently been nominated as a member of the UNFPA High Level Commission on ICPD+25 for three years. She was also a member of the UN Women Global Civil Society Advisory Group (2012/2015).

Having served in senior positions in the civil society, the government and the UN, Ms. Rana has demonstrated effective leadership in the promotion of gender equality globally. She has received numerous national and international awards for her contribution in the promotion of women’s rights and gender equality including the NGO CSW Committee’s Woman of Distinction Award, Zonta International Centennial Award and Social Service Award from the President of Nepal.