After years of stalemate, a new constitution was promulgated in Nepal in September 2015. A cornerstone of the 2006 Peace Agreement which put an end to the conflict between the State and the Maoist rebellion, the Constitution envisages the creation of a federal state with new administrative entities and boundaries, and a proportional political representation. The constitutional process has been, and remains, highly contentious. Protests have taken place in several parts of Nepal. Together with ongoing tensions, they serve to show that the context in the country remains fragile and that some grievances have still not been met.

In the framework of the ‘Capacities for Peace’ project (funded by the EU under the Instrument for Stability), Saferworld worked with a group of Nepali civil society organisations (CSOs) active in the different regions of Nepal, including the Nepal Madhesh Foundation (NEMAF), to accompany them through a process of conflict analysis and capacity building of a CSO-led early warning system: Nepal Monitor.

In this EPLO Brown Bag Lunch discussion, Mr Chiran Thapa, Regional Conflict and Security Adviser at Saferworld, and Mr Tula Narayan Shah, Executive Director of NEMAF, will discuss the main challenges surrounding the promulgation of the Nepalese constitution, as well as some of the opportunities for addressing conflict and violence at the local level in Nepal.

Participants are welcome to bring their own lunch and EPLO will provide tea and coffee.

Please RSVP to Susanne Wander if you would like to participate.