As a global initiative of the Non-Resident Nepali Association (NRNA), NPI has been actively focused on social and economic development of Nepal.

In a recent move, NPI has decided to unveil its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for the country’s development at a plenary session of the first Global Knowledge Conference to be held in Kathmandu during October 12-14, 2018.

“After 10 months of internal preparation, NPI is all set to unveil its Strategic Plan for 2019-2021 and this will be NPI’s first public presence while the team was working internally for several months,” says NPI Chair Khagendra Dhakal.

As part of its plan, NPI will be presenting eminent speakers to discuss development policies of Nepal, Dhakal adds.

Why Nepal Policy Institute (NPI)?

To a question on what different NPI will make compared to the other existing think-tanks, Dhakal clarified saying, “NPI is not to take other’s space in Nepal but to strengthen think-tank and public policy research, analysis and advocacy ecosystem in Nepal through collaboration, partnership and exchanges.”

Dhakal was confident in saying that NPI makes difference with its swift, wide range and multi-angled strategy recommendations for effective implementation of the country’s public policy.

“What makes NPI unique is that it will bring the world resources to Nepal and bring Nepali experience to the world by promoting Nepal in the global arena,” adds Dhakal.

According to Dhakal, NPI will be a consortium of Nepali-origin public policy experts, practitioners, researchers and consultants globally working in collaboration and partnership with people and institutions working in the interest of Nepal and Nepali people, including Nepali diaspora.

NPI aims to work as a border-less organization working and connecting Nepalis, globally.

Focus & Priorities
As the first step in its strategy, Dhakal said they would work with the National Planning Commission (NPC) towards identifying national needs and priorities before deciding on the final action plan.

NPI’s current list of core activities includes labor migration, utilization of remittances, revenue & expenditure management across the provincial & local levels, international investment, trade, and tourism.

Besides, the organization has some long-term priority tasks including R&D for economic diversification, value addition in health, environment, agriculture and natural resources, and meeting Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under UN 2030 Agenda.

NPI & First Global Knowledge Conference 2018

NPI’s plans as part of the Global Knowledge Conference 2018 include:

• NPI Proposal Presentation by NPI Executive Member Sharad Neupane
• Speech by the National Planning Commission’s Vice Chair Pushpa Kadel, NRNA Founder and International Coordinator Bhim Udash, Foreign Secretary Shanker Bairagi and Krishna Adhikari from Oxford University on the role of Nepali diaspora in developing effective policies for Nepal
• Panel discussion on NPI’s proposal involving NRNA President Bhaban Bhatta, Economist Madan Kumar Dahal and Nepali social leader and NPI Executive Committee Member Sharu Joshi Shrestha

 
Former Nepali Foreign & Finance Minister Bhekh Bahadur Thapa is going to chair the session that will be moderated by NPI Chair Dhakal.

NPI will finalize its strategy based on the inputs of the session, informed Dhakal.

The Background
NPI is a result of NRNA’s 15-year-long journey across the global network and emerged out of a dire need for policy institute in Nepal as part of NRNA Vision 2020 and Beyond.

The concept of NPI was first tabled at the NRNA Convention 2017 along with the vision document, which received a wide applaud from the global diaspora.

Further, NPI was integrated with the Constitution and the current President of Nepal Bidya Devi Bhandari appointed Hongkong-based Dhakal as its Chair for further development.

In the next 10 months’ time after the prior announcement, NPI spread its wings with a new steering and research committees and formed its medium-term Founding Strategic Plan.

Now, the organization is all set to present its Strategic Plan (2019-2021) for Nepal as part of the Global Knowledge Conference during October 12-14, 2018.

The post NRNA: NPI’s Maiden Public Policy Plan 2019-21 for Nepal Soon! appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) launched the Nepal Financial Inclusion Portal developed in collaboration with the United Nations Capital Development Fund (UNCDF) with an aim to give a realistic picture about financial access and usage of related services in Nepal.

The portal provides:

• Consolidated analytical reports on financial inclusion for policy intervention driven by data
• Helps regulatory in effective reporting of their financial data in a systematic manner
• Support to central bank and governmental bodies in preparing a national financial structure to increase financial access

“The availability of data and information on banking and financial access and inclusion helps the government in formulating necessary policies and programmes targeted to the rural areas. It is very important for policymakers as they can develop policies and financial strategies by looking at this portal,” NRB Governor Chiranjibi Nepal.

According to NRB, the portal will also list the data of remote rural areas that are not easily accessible even for the government and regulatory bodies.

Chiranjibi feels that the portal will help both the central and state governments in developing an efficient financial structure that would enhance financial access, thus driving overall economic growth of the country.

By bringing in a financial inclusion, the new portal is expected to increase the ability of local levels in gaining complete access to government services.

UNDP on Nepal’s Financial Inclusion
Speaking on the side-lines of the portal launch, UNDP Deputy Country Director Ayshanie Medagangoda-Labe pitched on the need for literacy and technology as means to achieve financial inclusion.

Illiteracy, connectivity, lack of savings & income, and distrust in banking or financial institutions are some of the key barriers for financial inclusion, she added.

In this regard, she said the new portal is definitely an opportunity for Nepal in achieving its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) under the 2030 agenda.

“One of the aims of the SDGs is to leave no one behind. The challenge that we have in front of us is how to get the financial access, literacy, infrastructure and technology to these 753 local units,” adds Ayshanie.

“If the data is available, you can know the needs and behaviors of consumers,” said Francois Coupienne of the UNCDF, while adding that as a tremendous opportunity for policy makers.

“There is a huge gap between the different needs and aspirations of each individual and the ‘one size fits all’ approach of the financial services providers. Innovation, technology and data will play a key role in filing this gap,” adds Francois.

Also Read:

• NRB Estimates Nepal’s Gasoline Spend at Rs 170 billion for FY 2017-18

The post New Portal to Assess Nepal’s Financial Inclusion appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

The new center envisages to promote sustainable development and inclusive development across Nepal.

The Center considers overall economic transformation in line with SDG principles as a key focus area of operations towards Nepal’s development, says former UN Under-Secretary-General Gyan Chandra Acharya, who will be heading the SAWTEE Nepal.

Meanwhile, SAWTEE Chairman Posh Raj Pandey said the Center will bring together policies, politics and expertise engaging all the related stakeholders in their scientific and non-partisan research process.

Nepal SDGs
In his inaugural address, Nepal Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Gyawali informed that Nepal has already begun adopting SDGs at the policy-level and is currently working towards integrating them at gross-root levels of the country.

Gyawali feels that SDG implementation across local levels will help in engaging domestic and international stakeholders in the development process.

Meanwhile, former Foreign Minister Prakash Saran Mahat opined that rule-based implementation of these rights and procedures pertaining to sustainable and inclusive development is key for development.

With private sector leading the growth, the government should continue holding equitable distribution across the development chain, added Mahat.

How SAWTEE Works?
In collaboration with the government, the Center aims to be a catalyst in Nepal’s developmental process through a research, analysis, advocacy and dialogue methodology.

 “The activities of the Center will contribute not only to existing issues and policies, but will also provide alternate ideas to decision makers,” says SAWTEE Chairman.

According to a press release, the Center will majorly focus on: job creation, structural transformation, gender mainstreaming, sustainability, global partnership, and establishing an integrated, holistic & multi-stakeholder approach.

The Center’s activities will include politicians, experts, civil servants, private players, academia, among others.

Overall, SAWTEE’s Nepal aims to develop a well-planned national strategy for a full-fledged transformation of Nepali economy with support of the country’s existing federal, democratic and republican structure.

The post SAWTEE Steps-up for Nepal’s Sustainable Development appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Out of the required annual investment of USD 17 billion, public sector is expected to hold a major share of 51 percent leaving 21 percent contribution to the private sector and the remaining share to NGOs, households and cooperatives.

Majority of the public investment is expected to be allocated to poverty alleviation, agriculture, health, climate change, water and sanitation, education, transport infrastructure and governance.

Meanwhile, the private sector investment will be made for industry development, physical infrastructure, housing, urban infrastructure, tourism and energy sectors.

“But, the government’s revenue and private sector investment will not be sufficient to attain SDGs by 2030, requiring huge amount of foreign aid,” noted the report.

SDGs, a follow-up to the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that expired in 2015, include a set of 17 goals and 169 targets involving a broad range of development issues such as fighting poverty and hunger, health coverage, gender equality, quality education, and all aspects of inclusive and sustainable development.

SDGs Status As of 2017

NPC’s National Sustainable Development Review Report 2017 reported significant progress in few of the country’s SDGS up to June 2017.

Poverty (SDG 1): The percentage of Nepali citizens below poverty line has declined from 38 percent in 2000 to 21.6 percent in 2015.

Hunger and Nutrition (SDG 2): NPC reported Nepal’s significant progress in reducing hunger, achieving food security and improving nutrition. Proportion of underweight children, prevalence of stunted children, among other relevant indicators have registered a decline over the last 10 years.

Health and Wellbeing (SDG 3): Nepal has also seen a significant progress in addressing health concerns among its populace. The country achieved a gradual progress in controlling infant mortality rate (64/1000 live births in 2000 to 32 in 2016), number of pregnant women going for antenatal checkups by skilled workforce, proportion of births in health facilities, among others.

Gender Equality (SDG 4): Nepal saw a notable development in terms of ensuring gender equality and women empowerment. A significant improvement in gender parity can be observed across the education institutions, among other areas across the country.

Inclusive Industrialization (SDG 5): Infrastructure development has seen a significant traction in Nepal over the past few years, which is evident in country’s road, rail, air, tourism, communication, industry infrastructure facilities.

Means of Implementation (SDG 17): The report noted a concern in the availability of resources to finance the achievement of SDGs. Highlighting the role of adequate finance, technology, institutions, capacity and partnership vital for SDGs, the report also indicated a positive growth in terms of partnerships among private players, cooperatives, civil society, development partners and the international community for achieving sustainable development.

Need of the Hour

Towards addressing the existing concerns and achieve SDGs, NPC suggests the country to have strong governance across federal, provincial and local levels.

The Planning Commission also suggests macroeconomic policy reforms for economic growth and bringing in a balance among the poor and marginalized communities.

Pitching on the need for effective management of resources needed for achieving SDGs, the Commission suggests the government to prioritize interventions based on fiscal, financial, managerial, technological, institutional and other capacity constraints.

NPC also suggests the Government of Nepal to design sectoral plans and long-term strategies in line with SDGs, and also integrate SDGs across all levels of Nepali society.

The post SDGs: Public Sector to Play Vital in Nepal’s Sustainable Development appeared first on Nepali Sansar.

Interview by Sai Nikesh D

Nepal has come a long way in development. As a nation sharing borders with the world’s two major economies, Nepal has been striving to become a developing country and grow further to achieve the developed country status.  As a process, the Government of Nepal has been actively participating in various global and local level platforms promoting country’s strengths and potential to development, and is sincerely aiming to see the benefits as part of its UN 2030 Agenda.

Continuing with a wide coverage on Nepal and its developments over a period, Nepali Sansar, as a Nepal-focused media house, got a chance to get in touch with Dr.Ek Raj Ojha, Senior Sustainable Development Consultant from Nepal, for a better understanding of the country’s progress towards its set goals.

Dr. Ojha, with his sound expertise in working with national and international level organizations like ADB, UN and government departments in sustainable development and planning, policy framework, among other key aspects of development and planning, shared a valuable information in this regard, helping us portray a complete picture of Nepal and its developmental path over a period and towards future.

Following are a few excerpts of Nepali Sansar Bureau’s detailed interaction with Dr. Ojha:

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