In Nepal, Adibasi Janajati Women have bitter experiences of inherent structural patriarchy and dominated political systems. Social exclusion based on gender has for centuries been an important part of the Nepali milieu. Similarly, social exclusion based on ethnicity has been another reality in Nepal. Thus, indigenous nationalities women face social exclusion not only becaus of them being women, but also because of their ethnicity. Women comprise 50.4 percent ouf of which 37.5 are Adivasi Janajati Women. It is a bact that the state has not recognized the "Idendity" of Adivasi Janajati Women, deprived them from policy making process and has been including them under the general term "Nepali Women". In addition, Adivasi Janajati Women are marginalized and excluded from the mainstream of national development. Adivasi Janajati Women suffer from triple forms of discrimination, first for beind women, secondly for being Adivasi Janajati and thirdly for being Adivasi Janajati Women.

General Assembly & Federal Council
General Assembly (GA) is a sovereign body of the NIWF, convened in every three years. There shall be one representative from each member in the GA. Federal Council (FC) comprises representatives of member organization and the secretariat. FC shall be a sovereign body accepts the GA is convened. FC has mandates to formulate programs, implementation and observation according to the resolution of General Assembly. It has further a mandate to carryout necessary work to achieve objectives of the NIWF complying its Constitution.

Secretariat
The Secretariat comprises seven members, out of them six members inducing the secretary General are elected by GA accept the Chairperson who serves according to the rotational turn of member organization. The mandate of secretariat is to implement the decision of Federal Council and day to day work of the NIWF. The secretariat has mandate of conducting various projects and programs to achieve the goal of NIWF. The projects and programs are managed by Executive Director. Currently, NIWF is supported by DANIDA Hugou, UNDP, CECI, WAPDCA,  Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) Thailand, AED, National Foundation for Development of Indigenous Nationalities (NFDIN), Nepal Federation of Indigenous Nationalities (NEFIN).

Goal
To ensure indigenous women’s rights by creating just and equitable society in ethnic,Iinguistic and regional autonomous regions with right to self determination in a federal democratic republic.

Objectives

1. Ensure political, constitutional, legal, social, cultural, religious, eduational, economic and customary rights of indigenous women.
2. Ensure indigenous women’s rights in ethnic, linguistic and reginal autonomous regions through the organizations of indigenous women and capacity development of its organizations.

• The State is not sensitive towards recognition of identity of indigenous women and their rights.
• Indigenous women face ethnic, linguistic, religious and cultural discrimination as being indigenous peopls and also face gender discrimination as being women.
• The traditional knowledge and skills of indigenous owmen are not given adquate protection.
• Indigenous women also have lower access to training and skill development opportunities.
• The recent conflict has severely affected livelihoods, security, health and education of indigenous women. The confiict has also desplaced a lorge number of indigenous women.
• Indigenous women constitute a big chunk of total number of women trafficked each year.
• Indigenous women from many indigenous groups constitute the poorest of the poor in Nepal.
• Indigenous women are excluded in decision making bodies at all levels and the State is insensitive to make proportional representation at all levels based on caste/ethnicity, gender and region.
• Respect indigenous womens's right to ancestral land and territories which is the sole basis of livelihoods.
• Respect indigenous women's rights to self determination for autonomy on the basis of ethnicity, language and region in a federal system.
• Recognize customary laws and justice system.
• Provide proportional representation of indigenous people and indigenous women at all level.
• Recognize diversity among women and give equal access, opportunity control and benefits to indigenous women, including by women’s rights movement.
• Disaggregate data by caste/ethnicity, including by GOs, INGOs and NGOs.

1. Caste/ethnic equity and equality among women/gender and gender equity and equality among indigenous peoples.
2. Balancing rights and needs based movement and develoopment.
3. Educate rights holders and influence duty bearers.
4. Balancing top down and bottom up aproaches.
5. Rights to self determination and ethnic autonomy.
6. Participatory, inclusive, proportional and representative aspects; and while diong so give high priority to endangered, highly marginalised, marginalised womend and also to indigenous owmen living in mountain and other remote areas.
7. Balancing rational and emotional aspects.
8. Balancing policy and practices.

Strategies

• Take initiative for proportional representation of indigenous women by ending gender and caste/ethnic discrimination in the state structure and policies.
• Take initiative to ensure recognition and rights of indigenous women in the new constitution.
• Focus on ethnic equity and equality among women and gender and also on gender equality and equality among indigenous people.
• Take initiative for inclusive and proportional representation in terms of gender and caste/ethnicity and in doing so, give high priority to women belonging to endangered, highly marginalized and marginalized indigenous people, mountain and other remote geographical regions.
• Gradually expand rights based and need based movements of women and development and operational policies.
• Strengthen and expand institutional/organizational capacity of NIWF, Nepal from national to local levels.
• Implement programs by establishing NIWF, Nepal’s District Coordination Committee and Village Development Committee Coordination Committee and coordinating with local government, non-governmental organizations, international donors, and civil society.
• Raise economic, social, cultural and political awareness for empowerment of indigenous women.
  

National Level
Nepal is in a verge of making a new constitution to institutionalize the restructuring the nation. NIWF has been closely observing the constitution making process as a prime opportunity to correct the historical injustices towards indigenous women. NIWF has raised following core issued in the constitution making process:

• Recognition of indigenous women and rights particularly ensuring their rights in the autonomy with rights of self-determination of the basis of ethnicity, language and traditional territories.
• Full and effective participation in the every structure of the state including executive, legislatives, judiciary, media, civil society organizations etc.
• Right to participate with the recognition is fundamental rights of indigenous women that guaranteed by various human rights instruments. These instruments serve as a guideline principle and state has obligation to comply in the constitution making proces.