The Asia Foundation

Nepal is passing through a pivotal moment in history: the ending of a decade-long conflict; the transformation into a republican state after two hundred forty years of monarchy; and the anticipated conversion of a centralized state into a federal one. All this hinges on a successful peace process and creation of a new constitution. We are a key partner in this transformation and are committed to working in a fashion that is responsive to Nepal's fluid political situation. In the run-up to the Constituent Assembly election in April 2008, we worked with Nepali civil society organizations to conduct more than eight thousand civic and voter education meetings in all of Nepal's districts. Our partners mobilized more than twenty thousand domestic election observers to monitor every polling booth in the country, and we worked with the Asian Network for Free Elections, ANFREL, to deploy over one hundred international election observers from the region—the group's largest mission ever. Our work did not stop there. Recently, we supported the development of rules of procedure for drafting the new constitution, and we assisted elected subcommittees in writing critical policy briefs that reflect core issues of federalization. Right now, in all seventy-five districts, with our Nepali partners, we are actively consulting marginalized communities on constitutional issues—and bringing those views to the development of the new constitution.