NATIONAL GOVERNANCE SYMPOSIUM 2024
"Strengthening Subnational Governance for Inclusive Economic Development"
19-20 December Nepal Administrative Staff College, Jawalakhel
#NGS24
19-20 December Nepal Administrative Staff College, Jawalakhel
#NGS24
Government of Nepal Office of The Prime Minister & Council of Ministers, Singhadurbar, Kathmandu
Government of Nepal National Planning Commission
Government of Nepal Ministry of Finance
Organizing partners
Rt. Hon. Mr. Devraj Ghimire
Speaker of the House of Representatives, Government of Nepal
Hon. Ms. Sapana Pradhan Malla
Justice, Supreme Court of Nepal
Ms. Laxmi Devi Pandey
President, National Association of Rural Municipalities in Nepal (NARMIN)
Dr. Ram Prasad Ghimire
Secretary, Ministry of Finance
Mr. Ek Narayan Aryal
Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal
Dr. Pukar Malla
Chairperson, Governance Lab
Mr. Trilochan Pokharel
Senior Director of Studies, NASC
Ms. Darshana Shrestha
First Vice President, Federation of Woman Entrepreneurs’ Association of Nepal (FWEAN)
Mr. Bishnu Prasad Lamsal
Deputy Executive Director, NASC
Mr. Krishna Gyawali
Senior Governance Advisor, Daayitwa
Dr. Rajan Khanal
Executive Director, Nepal Administrative Staff College
Hon. Dr. Janaki K Tuladhar
Election Commissioner
Mr. Bharat Mani Subedi
Secretary, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration
Ms. Radhika Aryal
Secretary, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology
Mr. Krishna Raut
Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies
Mr. Madhu Kumar Marasini
Secretary, National Planning Commission
Mr. Bishnu Adhikari
Governance Director, The Asia Foundation
Pratigya Neupane
Program Coordinator, NARMIN
Dr. Khim Lal Devkota
Chairperson, Federalism and Localization Center
Mr. Saroj Bista
Director of Governance and Impact, Young Innovations
Dr. Prativa Pandey
CEO, Herveda Botanicals
Dr. Prabin B. Khadka
Assistant Professor, University of Essex
Ms. Sama Thapa
Associate Editor, AP1 Television
Ms. Shrinkhala Khatiwada
CEO, Gaatha
Mr. Chiri Babu Maharjan
Mayor, Lalitpur Metropolitan City
Ms. Bimala Aryal, Mayor, Sunwal Municipality
Mayor, Sunwal Municipality
Mr. Satar Ansari
Executive Director, Province Research & Training Center, Madhesh Province
Mr. Kedar Nath Sharma
Principal Secretary, Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Koshi Province
Ms. Lila Devi Gadtaula
Former Chief Secretary, Government of Nepal
Mr. Hari Lamsal
Principal Secretary, Office of Chief Minister and Council of Ministers, Bagmati Province
Mr. Kuman Singh Gurung
Secretary, Ministry of Industry and Tourism, Gandaki Province
Ms. Juna Mathema
Chairperson, Startup and Innovation Forum, FNCCI
Dr. Sharan Kumar Pandey
Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Agriculture and Cooperatives, Koshi Province
Mr. Tanka Nath Ghimire
Proprietor, Rani Mahal Fishing Resort, Palpa
Ms. Bimala Rai
Mayor, Halesi Tuwachung Municipality, Khotang
Mr. Sudeep Paudel
Mayor, Kapilvastu Municipality, Kapilvastu
Mr. Mani Kumar Syangbo
Chairperson, Rong Rural Municipality
Mr. Ram Krishna Khand
Mayor, Tilottama Municipality
Mr. Ran Bahadur Rai
Mayor, Suryodaya Municipality
Theme: Strengthening Subnational Governance for Inclusive Economic Development
National Governance Symposium (NGS), an annual event organized by Governance Lab (Govlab) at the Daayitwa Abhiyaan, has been convening government, private sector, civil society, and academia stakeholders since 2022 to foster discussions on and create a collaborative community for governance innovations and inclusive development in Nepal. This year, with the theme of “Strengthening Subnational Governance for Inclusive Economic Development,” the Symposium will be organized on December 19-20, 2024, in partnership with Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC) and with support from government partners Office of the Prime Minister and Council of Ministers, National Planning Commission and National Planning Commission, as well as organizing partners Daayitwa and Nepal Leadership Academy.
Nepal's transition to a federal democratic republic in 2015 with power devolved across federal, provincial, and local governments aimed to restructure historical inequalities, empower marginalized communities, and enhance public service delivery by bringing governance closer to the people. However, the effectiveness of this transformation depends heavily on strengthening subnational governance systems. Robust economic governance at the subnational level is essential for inclusive economic development, enabling regions to address disparities, create opportunities, and contribute to national prosperity. NGS 2024 underscores the value of strengthening subnational entities for inclusive economic development.
In 2022, the symposium themed "Promoting Innovation in Local Governance for the Inclusive Economic Development of Nepal," was organized with support from government partners such as OPMCM, MOFAGA, and NPC. The symposium served as a platform to celebrate the success stories of innovative governance models from 12 municipalities and the event concluded with the Kathmandu Declaration for Collective Action, prioritizing inclusion, innovation, local governance, and economic development as core focus areas for advancing Nepal's governance landscape. Similarly in 2023, the symposium themed “Governance Innovations for Inclusive Development" was organized with support from government partners including OPMCM, MOFAGA, MOF, and NPC.
This year, Govlab in collaboration with its organizing partners, has designed the Symposium to achieve the following objectives:
“Strengthening Subnational Governance for Inclusive Economic Development”
December 19-20, 2024
Nepal Administrative Staff College, Lalitpur
Day 1 Agenda
8:30AM-9:00AM |
Registration |
9:00AM- 11:00AM |
Opening Ceremony |
Welcome Remarks |
|
Keynote Speaker
|
|
Special Remarks
Chief Guest
Program Chair
|
|
11:00AM- 11:15AM |
Group Photo and Tea/Coffee Break |
11:15AM- 12:45PM |
Session 1: Strengthening Capacity of Subnational Governments Chair: Mr. Bharat Mani Subedi, Secretary, Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration Panelists:
Moderator: Mr. Basanta Raj Sigdel, Senior Director of Studies, NASC Knowledge Partner: Center for Federalism Studies, NASC |
12:45PM- 1:30PM |
LUNCH |
1:30PM- 3:00PM |
Session 2: Promoting Growth Entrepreneurship and Employment in Rural Nepal Chair: Mr. Krishna B. Raut, Secretary, Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Supplies Presentation: Mr. Sanjay Pokharel, Entrepreneurship Manager, Daayitwa Panelists:
Moderator: Dr. Prativa Pandey, CEO, Herveda Botanicals Knowledge Partner: Daayitwa |
3:00PM- 3:15PM |
Tea Break |
3:15PM- 4:45PM |
Session 3: Mayors’ Roundtable - Local Governance for Inclusive Economic Development Chair: Mr. Madhu Kumar Marasini, Secretary, National Planning Commission Presentation: Mr. Bishnu Adhikari, Governance Director, The Asia Foundation Panelists:
Moderator:
Knowledge Partner: Kathmandu University School of Law |
4:45PM-5:30PM |
Closing Session |
Closing Remarks
|
|
Day 2 Agenda
8:30AM-9:00AM |
Registration and Tea/Coffee |
9:00AM- 10:00AM |
Opening Session |
Welcome Remarks
|
|
Keynote Speaker
|
|
Special Remarks
|
|
10:00AM- 11:30AM |
Session 4: Women's Political Participation in Local Election: Insights into Women’s Networks, Coalitions, and Gender Biases Chair: Hon. Dr. Janaki K Tuladhar, Election Commissioner Presentation: Pratigya Neupane, Program Coordinator, NARMIN and Dr. Prabin B. Khadka, Inclusion Economics Nepal at Governance Lab (IEN) Panelists:
Moderator: Dr. Prabin B. Khadka, Assistant Professor, University of Essex Knowledge Partner: IEN |
11:30AM- 12:45PM |
Session 5: Digital Governance for Enhanced Service Delivery Chair: Ms. Radhika Aryal, Secretary, Ministry of Communication and Information Technology Presentation: Mr. Saroj Bista, Director of Governance and Impact, Young Innovations Panelists
Moderator: Ms. Shrinkhala Khatiwada, CEO, Gaatha Knowledge Partner: Young Innovations |
12:45PM- 1:30PM |
LUNCH |
1:30PM- 3:00PM |
Session 6: Keynote Panel - The Road to Subnational Governance for Inclusive Economic Development Chair: Hon. Prof. Dr. Shiva Raj Adhikari, Vice Chairperson, National Planning Commission Presentation: Dr. Khim Lal Devkota, Chairperson, Federalism and Localization Center Panelists:
Moderator: Dr. Pukar Malla, Chairperson, Governance Lab at Daayitwa Abhiyaan Knowledge Partner: Federalism and Localization Center |
3:00PM- 3:15PM |
Tea Break |
3:15PM- 4:30PM |
Closing Ceremony |
Closing Remarks
|
|
Special Remarks
|
|
Vote of Thanks
|
|
4:30PM-5:30PM |
High Tea and Networking |
NB: Names of the session panelists have been listed in alpha order.
Daayitwa Abhiyaan (DA) is a movement that fosters inclusive and equitable economic growth by accelerating grassroots innovations, strengthening government institutions, and revitalizing a virtuous cycle of democracy and development through grassroots government collaboration. DA consists of four organizations: Daayitwa, Governance Lab (Govlab), Nepal Leadership Academy (NLA), and Nepal Rising (Daayitwa-US) based in the U.S. which brings together experienced researchers, policymakers, and other partners for sustainable development of Nepal. Daayitwa, with a focus on economic empowerment, envisions an enterprising Nepal where every youth has opportunities for a prosperous future. Govlab is a Nepal-based think-and-do tank that enables the government to make evidence-based policy decisions by conducting policy research, strengthening policy implementation capacity and fortifying research and governance ecosystems. NLA is a signature component of the DA that builds leadership capacity in change agents who are guided by the shared values of collaborating, innovating, and serving and the shared principles of community, justice, and sustainability to architect effective policy, business, and civic solutions that tackle the most grueling adaptive challenges. Nepal Rising administered by DA engages and empowers the Nepali diaspora in the US as change agents and strengthens local and global collaboration to promote socio-economic development in Nepal.
The Nepal Administrative Staff College (NASC), a national-level institution engaged in capacity building of the public sector in Nepal, was established in 1982 and is governed by the NASC Act, 1982. The institution provides necessary training to the employees of the Government of Nepal (GoN) and public enterprises. Aimed at enhancing the capability of administration of the Nepal government and management of public enterprises, the institution designs and executes training programs that contribute towards the overall development of the country. Besides, NASC is also heavily invested in undertaking problem-oriented research, consulting, and informative service programs for preparing training materials to make training more successful. NASC also provides a range of short and long courses as per the need of government agencies and public enterprises. The areas under training range from Basic Administration Training designed to the newly appointed gazetted Class I officers to the Senior Executive development program for Joint Secretaries of GoN. It has been continuously revising and implementing the Advanced Course on Management and Development for gazetted Class II officers; and The professional Course on Management and Development for gazette Class III officers of GoN and public organizations with innovative learning modules. With a history of over forty years, NASC continues to contribute to strengthening the capacity of public administration and adopting innovative tools to share knowledge among institutions.
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