Nepal
Making markets work for home-based workers in Nepal
Home-based workers (HBWs) are vital to Nepal’s economy comprising about one-third of its non-agricultural labour force. The contributions they make to the country’s economy cannot be discounted because they are in the informal sector. By producing products that are mostly exported they contribute directly to GDP and to the preservation of cultural heritage.
No. 51208. International Development Association and Nepal
Financing Agreement (Bridges Improvement and Maintenance Program) between Nepal and the International Development Association (with schedules appendix and International Development Association General Conditions for Credits and Grants dated 31 July 2010). Kathmandu 13 July 2012
No. 51226. United States of America and Nepal
Agreement Between the Government of the United States of America and His Majesty’s Government of Nepal Regarding the Surrender of Persons to the International Criminal Court. Kathmandu 31 December 2002
Bringing Education to the Most Marginalized Girls in Nepal
This research brief provides a snapshot of Girls’ Access To Education (GATE) a non-formal education programme that aims to bring the most marginalized adolescent girls in Nepal into school. The nine-month programme provides out-of-school girls with the basic literacy numeracy and life skills they need to enter and learn in formal schooling. The analysis draws on GATE monitoring data for 2018/19 covering 7394 GATE beneficiaries in five districts of Nepal and is combined with qualitative evidence including case studies and focus group discussions with former GATE participants conducted in 2019. The mixed-methods analysis finds that the GATE programme has been highly effective with 95% completion of the programme by enrolled girls and 89% of girls making the successful transition to formal school. Moreover GATE graduates enrolled in Grades 3 to 5 in formal schools outperformed non-GATE girls enrolled in the same grades even though GATE girls overwhelmingly had no prior formal school experience. Qualitative evidence reveals that poverty caring responsibilities and parents’ traditional views may be important factors in explaining why GATE girls had never previously attended school. Despite this GATE beneficiaries who were interviewed maintain a positive outlook on the future and have clear career goals. One of the recommendations stemming from this brief is to explore the feasibility of expanding GATE approaches to target out-of-school children in other contexts as GATE has been a cost-effective solution in the context of Nepal.
No. 47051. International Development Association and Nepal
FINANCING AGREEMENT (PROJECT FOR AGRICULTURE COMMERCIALIZATION AND TRADE) BETWEEN NEPAL AND THE INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION. KATHMANDU 21 AUGUST 2009 [United Nations Treaty Series vol. 2641 I-47051.]
Preface
This paper was prepared in the context of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development’s (UNCTAD) work in support of least developed countries’ (LDC) participation in trade. It aims to contribute to the discussion on market access for services and services suppliers from LDCs in particular in the context of the World Trade Organization (WTO) Services Waiver Decision adopted on 17 December 2011 (hereinafter “the Waiver”).
Note
This publication forms part of the background research for the study titled “Effective market access for least developed countries’ services exports; An analysis of the World Trade Organization services waiver for least developed countries” (UNCTAD/DITC/TNCD/2019/1). The research was originally undertaken in 2017 and has been released for publication to help policymakers understand some of the intricacies behind the original study. Some details may have since changed.
Concluding observations
Nepal a landlocked country with weak infrastructure is on the path of development with fast growing services industries; some — especially in the IT/BPO sector — are with an impressive level of sophistication. Traditional services such as tourism are primarily focused on attracting tourist arrivals from neighbouring countries while other services including IT/BPO and animation services are reaching out to a remote clientele in Europe and the United States. The task is thus to create an enabling environment for the services economy to flourish reform the regulatory framework in support of the services economy and develop Nepal’s human capital.
Acknowledgements
This pilot case study for Nepal was prepared by the UNCTAD secretariat with co-financing from Sweden for which UNCTAD is thankful.
Introduction: LDC services exports, the WTO services waiver for LDCs and preferences notified by members
This paper focuses on Nepal as an LDC and a services exporter. It does so embedded in the immediate context of the overall question of LDC services exports their promotion and the operationalisation of the WTO’s LDC Services Waiver. It thus serves as a case study — one of an initial set of four — and should be read in conjunction with the overview paper “Effective Market Access for LDC Services Exports — An Analysis of the WTO Services Waiver for LDCs” which considers cross-cutting observations and conclusions.
Services and services trade in Nepal
Nepal is a mountainous landlocked country in South Asia that shares its borders with India to the south east and west and China to the north. It is a member of the South Asian Association for Regional Integration (SAARC) along with Afghanistan Bangladesh Bhutan India Maldives Pakistan and Sri Lanka. Nepal’s capital Kathmandu is the seat of the SAARC Secretariat. In 2016 Nepal’s population numbered 28.9 million and its GDP was worth $ 21.13 billion. The country reported the second highest level of health and primary education in the region and among South Asian countries was the best performer in terms of macroeconomic environment.
Effective Market Access for Least Developed Countries’ Services Exports
The LDC Waiver is a legal tool that enables WTO Members to sidestep their obligation to treat all services imports equally under the Most-Favoured Nation (MFN) clause through the granting preferential treatment to services and service exporters from a Least Developed Country (LDC). It is similar to the “Enabling Clause” for goods within the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) except that the Waiver only benefits LDCs not all developing countries. It operates thus as an “LDC-only Enabling Clause for services”. The Waiver only enables preferences it does not require WTO Members to grant them nor provide them with specific ideas or tools to facilitate LDCs’ exports into their markets. This paper presents the findings of the pilot study on Nepal. Focusing on a selection of services sectors of particular export interest to Nepal this case-study assesses where appropriate on an anecdotal basis whether and to what extent the preferences granted by WTO Members respond to the market access regulatory and other barriers experienced by Nepal’s services exporters in their export market(s). By converging all available sources of information the analysis aims to identify the relevance of the notified preferences for Nepal’s services exports possible gaps and opportunities for further development of improved market access mechanisms as well as its utilization by LDC services exporters.