Nepal

International IDEA has been working in Nepal since 2004. Following the rise of the People’s Movement for Democracy and the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2006, International IDEA began supporting national actors in the process of constitution-building. We provided comparative knowledge and expertise, facilitated dialogues and promoted public participation.

Nepal reached a historic milestone in 2008 with elections that ended a decade of civil war, popular protest, and constitutional stalemate. The elections were the first aimed at electing a Constituent Assembly tasked with drafting a new c Constitution. Measures were taken to ensure that the legislative body reflected the ethnic diversity of the country. International IDEA assisted the country in negotiating, drafting and implementing the new Constitution and supported reforms in election management.

2017 was again a significant election year in Nepal. Local, provincial and parliamentary elections were held under the c Constitution that was passed in 2015. Throughout the election period, Nepal’s National Election Observation Committee made use of International IDEA’s Electoral Risk Management Tool.

International IDEA also had a role in convening legislative consultations relating to the rights of victims of crime, natural resource management, natural disaster management and gender inclusivity.

Currently we have two projects: 

1. Support to Nepal's Democracy and Inclusion Processes through Electoral Reform Initiatives (SID-ERI) (January 2023- August 2026) and 

2. CON-COURSE: A Youth Centric Discourse on the Nepali Constitution (March 2026-June 2027) - a governance project, with the support from the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), Government of Australia. In the SID/ERI project we work in collaboration with the Election Commission of Nepal (ECN) and Civil Society Partner Organizations and on the CON-COURSE project we work in collaboration with the Civil Society Partner Organizations.