Support for Democracy and Inclusion through Electoral Reform in Nepal

This three-year project is a co-creation between the European Union Delegation in Nepal and International IDEA which aims to build a partnership with a consortium of civil society organizations (CSOs) to represent the interests of Dalits, women and youths to engage and influence for electoral law reform from a gender equality and social inclusion perspective. 

The Constitution of Nepal 2015 responds to long-standing issues of discrimination and exclusion that have been prevalent in laws and in practices. The legal provisions for the proportional representation of women and historically disadvantaged communities in all state bodies have done much towards translating the constitutional principles of inclusion, however the electoral system and related laws have become one of the main building blocks for enabling political inclusion at a structural level. 

On this backdrop, this project is built on the assumption that supporting inclusion will not be effective unless demand for change is driven by those excluded. Therefore, this project intends to work through CSOs to strengthen the capabilities and the agency of women, Dalit, and youth representatives/communities, so that eventually they will themselves increase the pressure on the system and demand reform in line with the constitutional vision of inclusion.