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How do we strengthen democratic deliberation in local-level governance?

High-level government delegation from Nepal led by Joint Secretary Suresh Adhikari Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration, with the International IDEA Secretary-General Yves Leterme and staff

This question set the tone for the study visit to the Netherlands, Denmark and Sweden by a high-level delegation of federal and local government officials from Nepal.

In Stockholm, the delegation visited the Swedish Parliament, the Ministry for Foreign Affairs, the Swedish Association of Local Authorities and Regions (SKL) and International IDEA Headquarters. International IDEA introduced knowledge products tailored to deliberative decision-making processes and democratic governance at the local level, including the Democratic Accountability in Service Delivery Assessment framework. The discussion also zoomed in on central questions in electoral processes and political participation and representation, such as the question of inclusive participation in the public decision-making. International IDEA also provided the delegation with an analysis on the state of democracy in Nepal, based on the Global State of Democracy Indices.

The study tour is part of the Coherence Programme—a partnership between International IDEA, the Government of Nepal—Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration (MOFAGA) and the Government of UK through DFID. The project contributes to the implementation of the 2015 Federal Constitution of Nepal and provides guidance to support the functioning of the local governments. Additionally, local governments are to gain the capacity to reach deliberate democratic political decisions and improve the coherence of development efforts.

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