Community Forestry (CF) is one of the famous programs for empowering women's leadership in managing forest resources in Nepal. This paper aims to answer how Multi-stakeholders Forestry Program (MSFP) has contributed to the leadership development of women in the community forest user groups (CFUG) and in the public sphere.

The study was carried out in the Ramechhap District of Nepal. In-depth interviews were done with 10 successful women leaders of CFUGs of Ramechhap district who have contributed prominently in the public sphere. Furthermore, reports from the Multi-stakeholder Forestry Programme (MSFP), District Development Committee, and District Forest Office were analyzed and interpreted.

Till 2014, 415 CFs have handed over to the CFUGs in the district where women's representation in the CFUGs has drastically been improved in the last 20 years quantitatively as well as qualitatively. For this study, the representation of women in executive committees of 282 CFUGs (141 MSFP-focused CFUGs and 141 MSFP non-focused CFUGS) till 2014 was analyzed.

Initially, there were only 7% of women representatives in the CFUG committees (Shrestha, 1998) but in 2011; it increased to 36% (NSCFP, 2011). The women's representation has further increased to 42.64 in 2014.

The MSFP has played a significant role in increasing women's representation in the CFUG committees. It is found that women leaders in both -MSFP-focused and non-focused CFUGs- has been increased in the last three years whereas the representation of women in MSFP-focused CFUGs is more effective than in non-focused CFUGs.

Moreover, members of women in the total committees in focused CFUGs is 45.92%, and in non-focused is 39.36%. Likewise, women representation in major key positions (Chairperson and Secretary) in MSFP-focused CFUGs is 22.70% which is about 13.12% more than that of non-focused CFUGs (9.57%) in 2014 which is about 6.55% more than non-focused CFUGs number of CFUGs.

These figures clearly show that quantitative representation in the focused CFUGs has increased more than in the non-focused CFUGs. On the other hand, qualitative leadership in the focused CFUGs is quite higher than in the non-focused CFUGs due to intensive resource (skilled human resource, money) mobilization through the MSFP in the focused CFUGs.

Likewise, the Ministry of Forest and Soil Conservation (2008) has clearly provisioned in the CF guideline that 50% women representation should be ensured in CFUG executive committee along with at least one woman should be in key positions –Chairperson and Secretary of the committee.

The guideline has also been contributing to increasing women's leadership in the CFUGs. However it has not been materialized in the CFUGs due to a patriarchal society, higher rate of illiteracy of women, lack of confidence in women leaders, elite dominance, and so on.