International Development Partners working in Nepal stand ready to forge a stronger partnership with Government, the private sector and civil society to collectively fight corruption which remains one of the major issues that hampers the development of Nepal and poverty alleviation. Its challenges are significant as the country strives for higher development and business activities.

Corruption is a multi-faceted problem and needs to be addressed on multiple fronts and at all levels. Development partners believe that joint efforts by Government, civil society, private sector and the international community in addressing the challenges of corruption in Nepal are crucial to bring about visible and positive results. A stronger partnership among different stakeholders will make it possible to tackle the issue in a more coordinated, comprehensive and coherent manner.

The United Nations Convention Against Corruption (UNCAC) is the paramount global framework for preventing and combating corruption, and is a key instrument for joint efforts on anti-corruption.

Nepal signed the Convention in 2003, and ratified it in 2011. Ratification of UNCAC obliges State Parties to take concrete steps towards compliance. Nepal is currently undergoing a self-assessment and peer review on its implementation of UNCAC. This process and its outcome can be a useful basis for dialogue and collaboration. It can also help to identify gaps and areas of cooperation between anti-corruption agencies, international development partners and civil society.

The Government of Nepal has taken many positive steps to address the issue of corruption, including putting in place various legal reforms and anti-corruption agencies. However, implementation of those measures needs to be enhanced in order to effectively tackle corruption, which was also noted in the recently published Corruption Perceptions Index 2014 of Transparency International. One of the challenges is to achieve more effective coordination and collaboration among stakeholders on preventive, promotional and punitive actions against corruption. Active engagement of civil society and media in a transparent process is crucial.

International development partners are committed to supporting Government, business and civil society actors working on the issue of anti-corruption in order to better enable them to facilitate and monitor the implementation of the UNCAC at all levels.

According to a press release issued by UN Ram B. Shah, National Information Officer, UN Information Centre (UNIC), International development partners are encouraged by the constructive dialogue with the Government on these issues and look forward to exploring ways of working closer together.  

Agencies behind this statement include UN Resident Coordinator’s Office in Nepal, Royal Norwegian Embassy, Embassy of Denmark, Embassy of Germany, EU Delegation in Nepal, Embassy of Switzerland, DFID Nepal, JICA Nepal Office, Asian Development Bank Nepal, Embassy of Finland