Asian Development Bank, DFID and World Bank
Joint Nepal Country Plan Consultations
Joint Nepal Country Plan Consultations
Background:
The end of Nepal’s ten year conflict has left a development deficit across the country; poverty remains widespread, security poor in some areas and the capacity of the state weakened. Important steps have now been taken towards building the New Nepal. The election of the Constituent Assembly, declaration of the Republic, and formation of a new government are significant milestones in the transition to a more stable and inclusive society. Great challenges remain, not least maintaining political stability, whilst meeting the people’s expectations for real change in their daily lives.
This period of transition has the potential to open up immense opportunities for the people of Nepal. The aim of this consultation is to gain an insight, from as wide an audience as possible, on what role the Asian Development Bank (ADB), UK Department for International Development (DFID), and the World Bank (WB) should play in supporting the New Nepal. These three agencies have been among the leading donors to Nepal in recent years in a range of sectors and geographical regions of the country.
Consultation Process:
The objective of the consultations is to gather views from a variety of Nepal’s stakeholders on where and how ADB, DFID and WB can be most effective in supporting Nepal’s development in order to inform their country plans for 2009-2012. Our main areas of enquiry include:
● Country context and support to the peace process
● Strengthening the state
● Meeting expectations of the people
The field consultation process will be undertaken in selected districts of Nepal and in Kathmandu during the period September-November 2008, and will include consultations with a range of stakeholders from civil society, the non-governmental and donor sectors and Government. The key questions and issues for discussion are outlined in more detail below. Subsequently, when our country plans have been approved, we will share these publicly, along with a response on how the consultations informed the nature of each agency’s support to Nepal.
This document will go on our web-sites, and written responses can be sent to:
ADB: adbnrm@adb.org
DFID: nepal-enquiries@dfid.gov.uk
WB: nepalpic@worldbank.org
Current context and peace process:
Nepal faces a number of immediate challenges to ensure that the country continues on a peaceful path that leads to a more prosperous and equitable society.
Q: What are the current challenges and risks involved in the peace process?
Q: What are the critical longer term issues that the Constituent Assembly must address to ensure the peace holds?
Q: What needs to be done to ensure that Nepal’s transition creates a more inclusive society?
Q: What should be done to ensure that women play a more active role in the new Nepal?
Q: How should donors, working with Nepal’s stakeholders and other donors, support this process?
Strengthening the state:
Countries coming out a period of conflict commonly suffer from weak law and order and lack the capacity to deliver basic services to their citizens.
Q: What are the core state functions that the government should be providing?
Q: What support should ADB, DFID and WB be providing to strengthen the State and how should this be provided?
Q: What should donors be doing to help Nepal build a more inclusive and an accountable State?
Meeting expectations of the people:
The public have high expectations of change including improved and equitable access to: jobs, land and improved basic services. At the same time the economy is under pressure from rising fuel and food prices.
Q: What should the new government’s top priorities be in the New Nepal to meet people’s expectations?
Q: What are the roles of government and the private sector in creating more jobs, especially for young people, and how can donors assist this process?
Q: What needs to be done to ensure that all groups of society have access to quality basic services (e.g. health care, education, water and sanitation, social protection) ?
Q: What roles should the government, civil society, communities and the private sector have in delivering basic services, and does this vary in different sectors ? What are the success stories of recent years that can inform the policies of the new Government ?
Q: What should donors be doing to ensure sustainable poverty reduction and inclusive economic growth?
ADB, DFID and WB feedback
ADB, DFID and WB have in recent years been among the largest donors to Nepal and we will continue our support into the future. We would like to improve the effectiveness of our work and listen to the views of others on how to do this. This section asks specific questions about how ADB, DFID and WB work and what we can do to improve.
Q: What is your impression of the work that the three agencies support in Nepal?
Q: What would improve the way we work, either in general or in specific areas?
Q: How can the three agencies improve the way we communicate our work?
Q: What can the three agencies do to ensure that our support reaches the poor more effectively?
Q: How should three agencies balance the need for immediate delivery of
results with the longer term job of building effective and accountable
government institutions?
Related pages: Back to main consultations page
