Issues of local and community governance have been on the agenda of the FriEnt (Working Group on Peace and Development) Nepal Round Table meetings on several occasions. They have been discussed as important elements for Nepal’s peace and development processes. Now the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) has commissioned a study on the subject which German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE) is accompanying.

On the occasion of the researcher Vidhyadhar Mallik visiting DIE, FriEnt and DIE organised a discussion on the main findings of his research. The study looks at the governance situation both at the local and the national levels and comes to the conclusion that most elements are in place at the local level, however, much still needs to be done at the national one.

What does this mean for the Nepal peace and development processes? What does it more particularly mean for support from international development and peace building organisations?

Background:
Vidyadhar Mallik is a Honorary Advisor to the President of Nepal (since July 2012), Co-facilitator at the Nepal Transition to Peace (NTTP) Initiative and Chairperson for the Public Administration Association of Nepal (PAAN). He previously held various high-ranking positions in the Nepalese government, amongst others as Finance Secretary (August 2006 – June2008) and Peace Secretary (March 2005 - July 2006) to the Government of Nepal.