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Everything About Nepal | Geography, History, Culture and Life

—

by

eduKate Asia
Original illustration of three fictional adults studying an open book and a mountain landscape model in an imagined library.

What can you learn about Nepal? Begin with a place, an everyday practice or a question. These twenty chapters connect geography, history, community life and creativity. Read from the beginning, or choose a route and explore the subjects that interest you.

Choose a reading route: country foundations, everyday life, culture and discovery, or connections and perspectives. Each route leads to the complete chapters.

At a glance

  • Location: UN M49 groups Nepal in Southern Asia.

Source: UN M49.

This educational overview is not a travel itinerary or personalised medical, legal or financial advice. Surveys, historical accounts and institutional plans answer different questions. Their dates and limits matter when comparing experiences or deciding what to investigate next.

Cover illustration: original AI-generated artwork of three fictional adults studying an illustrated book and a mountain landscape model in an imagined community library. This is a nonliteral artistic composite, not a photograph, an accurate map or an exact view of a named place.

Choose your reading route

Country foundations

Everyday life

Culture and discovery

Connections and perspectives

Chapter 1: Geography and landscapes

Location and valley

United Nations statistical geography places Nepal in Southern Asia, within Asia. Its M49 entry gives the numeric identifier 524 and the alphabetic codes NP and NPL. These identifiers organize comparable country data. The geographical grouping is a statistical convention, rather than a judgment about political affiliation. Source 1.1

Kathmandu Valley has a history beneath its streets. NASA describes geological and fossil evidence of a large lake occupying the valley from about 2.8 million to 10,000 years ago. It is thought to have drained in phases as the climate dried, the ground rose and faulted, and river channels cut through enclosing ridges. An astronaut photograph taken on 9 November 2010 shows a relatively flat metropolitan area surrounded by green slopes, making that contrast in terrain especially clear. The Expedition 25 crew took the photograph from the International Space Station; the published image was cropped and contrast enhanced. Source 1.2

Relief and geology

The Nepal Tourism Board describes a landlocked country between China to the north and India to the south, east and west. Its geographical account distinguishes Himalayan, middle hill and Tarai regions. Kathmandu and Pokhara lie within the Midlands, while Chitwan, Dang and Surkhet are among the Dun valleys. Mustang and Dolpo offer another contrast: the profile describes them as cold inner Himalayan deserts, rather than treating the mountain region as a single landscape. Source 1.3

The Department of Mines and Geology explains the Himalaya through the movement and collision of lithospheric plates. Nepal belongs to the active mountain belt where the Indian and Eurasian plates meet. Its account identifies five geological zones from north to south: Tethys Himalaya, High Himalaya, Lesser Himalaya, Siwalik or Chure, and Terai. Faults and thrusts have stacked rock units formed at different times, creating a geological sequence that is more complicated than a simple rise from plains to peaks. Source 1.4

Water across boundaries

Water connects Nepal with neighbouring countries. ICIMOD describes the Koshi basin as shared by China, India and Nepal, including Mount Everest and water stored in glaciers, snow and glacial lakes. Its 2017 account assigns about 88,000 square kilometres and water or livelihood connections for over 40 million people to the whole transboundary basin, not Nepal alone. Source 1.5

FAO’s 2011 water survey describes two contrasting rainfall seasons. Summer rain arrives with the southwest monsoon from June to September, first reaching the southeast and generally weakening westward. Winter rain, associated with westerly disturbances from December to February, enters from the west and weakens towards the east. The same profile describes drainage towards the Ganges through the Mahakali, Karnali, Gandaki, Kosi and southern basins. Strong seasonal changes in river flow accompany these different routes by which moisture reaches the country. Source 1.6

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Chapter 2: Historical records

Heritage and agreement

UNESCO’s Kathmandu Valley dossier covers seven monument zones: the palace squares of Kathmandu, Patan and Bhaktapur, alongside four religious ensembles. It describes a fusion of Hindu and Buddhist artistic traditions extending from at least the fifth century and flourishing between 1500 and 1800. Newar craftsmanship appears in brick, stone, timber and bronze. Tiered temples, terracotta roofs and carved architectural details show how the dossier connects religious practice, urban spaces and skilled material work. Source 2.1

The Comprehensive Peace Agreement was signed on 21 November 2006 by Prachanda for the Communist Party of Nepal Maoist and Prime Minister Girija Prasad Koirala for the government. It sought to end armed conflict through a ceasefire and United Nations involvement in managing arms and armies. Its commitments also encompassed constituent assembly elections, human rights and humanitarian principles, with truth, reconciliation and rehabilitation mechanisms. The agreement records the framework negotiated for a transition, not completed implementation. Source 2.2

Peace and diplomacy

In a message dated 14 January 2011, the UN Secretary General said the United Nations Mission in Nepal would close at midnight the following day, after four years. The message credited its role in the 2008 Constituent Assembly elections and monitoring arms, armies and ceasefire conduct. It also highlighted the Joint Monitoring Coordination Committee as a forum for resolving disputes. Alongside those contributions, the statement acknowledged unfinished peace tasks and promised continuing UN engagement. Source 2.3

The Nepal and United Kingdom treaty has distinct documentary dates. British treaty records give 21 December 1923 for signature and 10 May 1924 for ratification. At the centenary in 2023, Nepal’s Foreign Secretary spoke at Singha Durbar State Hall, where the treaty had been signed. The speech recalled that the United Kingdom hosted Nepal’s first overseas diplomatic mission and presented the treaty as an opening towards wider external engagement. Source 2.4

Recognition and archives

The United States diplomatic history records recognition of Nepal on 21 April 1947, when Joseph Satterthwaite presented a letter from President Truman to Nepal’s king. Diplomatic relations followed on 16 February 1948, through a Nepalese legation to the United States whose staff resided in London. A United States embassy opened in Kathmandu on 6 August 1959, with L. Douglas Heck as chargé d’affaires. These dates distinguish recognition, formal relations and a resident embassy. Source 2.5

The Hodgson Papers catalogue preserves another perspective on earlier relations. It describes an 1834 abstract mainly in Campbell’s hand, with corrections by Hodgson, and a Nepalese chronological account translated into English. The record even notes a correction from an 1815 date to 1805. A separate 1840 summary by J. R. Tickell drew on Resident letters about court politics and Thapa and Pande rivalries. The catalogue describes court entries spanning 1830 to 1840 through this colonial documentary perspective. Source 2.6

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Chapter 3: Languages and communication

Public status and census

Articles 6 and 7 of the Constitution distinguish languages of the nation from official language arrangements. The English version calls all mother tongues spoken in Nepal languages of the nation and identifies Nepali in Devnagari script as the official language. It also provides for additional provincial official languages spoken by a majority, through law, with other language matters addressed on Language Commission recommendations. Source 3.1

The 2021 population census report records 124 mother tongue categories. Of these, 111 had also appeared in 2011 and 13 were newly recorded. Twelve foreign languages reported in the earlier census were grouped under other languages because their reported speaker numbers were small. The classification combined answers given by respondents with stakeholder and expert review. Twenty one mother tongues were each reported by at least 100,000 people; census categories describe reporting and classification, not an absolute language inventory. Source 3.2

Community and classroom

A 2017 sociolinguistic survey explored Jerung in Okhaldhunga through questions about proficiency, multilingualism, vitality, attitudes and community aspirations. Comparisons of 210 words and evidence from five survey points supported the report’s finding of mutually intelligible speech. Participants across age groups reported using both Jerung and Nepali in family gatherings and village meetings. All the participants wanted their children to learn in their mother tongue, connecting language use at home with hopes for education. Source 3.3

UNICEF’s account of multilingual classrooms follows work in Chandrapur in Rautahat and Narayan Municipality in Dailekh. Training encouraged teachers to begin with children’s mother tongues and introduce Nepali gradually. Teachers asked for familiar words and used classmates to help explain meaning. Narayan developed local language curriculum materials, while Chandrapur was expanding the approach from 15 schools to 48. Peer learning among teachers formed part of that work, especially for the first three grades. Source 3.4

Resources and research

The National Deaf Federation Nepal publication inventory shows several ways of organising sign language resources. It lists children’s booklets, basic and medium dictionaries, teaching materials and interpreter curricula. A dictionary organised by handshape appears alongside interpreter codes of conduct and teaching evaluation materials. The catalogue also records dictionary parts in 1995, 1996 and 1997 and a finger practice booklet in 1998. The inventory also includes information on deafblindness and charts for children. Source 3.5

Gurung’s sociolinguistic research examined Nepali and English mixing through questionnaires, individual and group interviews, recorded conversations, and media and educational material. The study found English elements at word, phrase, clause and sentence levels, with nouns especially common in its data. Profession, education and location influenced mixing, while age and gender groups showed no significant difference in this research. Facilitating conversation emerged as a principal reason, presenting code switching as a feature of interaction rather than simply a list of borrowed words. Source 3.6

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Chapter 4: Institutions and public work

Representation and access

An IPU Parline snapshot retrieved on 25 October 2026 lists 275 current members of Nepal’s House of Representatives. It records 179 men and 96 women, giving women a share of 34.9 percent. The percentage uses current membership as its denominator. It describes the composition recorded by IPU at that point, not a constitutional quota. Source 4.1

IFES describes a practical accessibility pilot during the 2022 elections. The Election Commission introduced 100 accessible polling locations across all seven provinces, with 392 officers trained in accessible polling. Ramps and braille voter information were among the measures. The same annual report describes MyVoteMyFuture, a civic engagement campaign using youth media literacy films and influencer videos. Its topics included misinformation and checking facts, linking the physical experience of voting with the information people encounter before they vote. Source 4.2

Justice and rights

The 2021 to 2026 Access to Justice project works with the Ministry of Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs and provincial offices in Koshi, Madhesh, Karnali and Sudurpaschim. Its aims include stronger legal aid and legal empowerment for women and marginalised groups, including Dalits, people with disabilities and LGBTQI people. Courts, the National Judicial Academy, bar associations, judicial committees, university law faculties and civil society are among its partners, combining institutional support with capacity for legal services closer to communities. Source 4.3

The National Human Rights Commission’s unofficial English synopsis for fiscal year 2079/2080 describes a Complaint Management and Reporting System. Complaints could be made personally or through representatives using communication channels. The report records 42 meetings and decisions or recommendations on 404 investigated complaints. Alongside this work, its promotional activities included human rights education, training and seminars, with publications distributed through print, radio and online channels in cooperation with government and civil society. Source 4.4

Audit and parliament

The Auditor General’s 2024 summary explains how auditing is organised through annual, ministry and entity planning in the Nepal Audit Management System. Auditees are assessed as higher or lower risk, with detailed testing described for high risk entities. For lower risk entities, the report describes remote auditing informed by internal controls, internal audit reports and Treasury Single Account information. Financial, performance and environmental audit guidance provides further structure for examining different aspects of public work. Source 4.5

The Parliament Support Project works with the Federal Parliament and all seven Provincial Assemblies, including their members, committees and secretariats. Its 2023 to 2027 phase focuses on reviewing bills, examining legislation after enactment, research and oversight informed by evidence. Public engagement and inclusion are also explicit aims. The programme identifies women, young people, sexual and gender minorities, people with disabilities and civil society among those whose participation matters to making parliamentary work more accessible. Source 4.6

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Chapter 5: Economy and livelihoods

Money and analysis

Nepal Rastra Bank’s 2024/25 annual report describes work behind currency circulation. Its clean note approach included distributing fit notes, rather than newly printed ones, during Dashain, Tihar and Chhat. Unfit notes were shredded and made into briquettes. The report also describes electronic reporting of commercial bank note chests and 44 financial institutions connected to real time gross settlement. Payment supervision and updated directives addressed security, risk management and cross border transactions. Source 5.1

The World Bank’s October 2026 Development Update explains why strong inflows need not produce equally strong domestic credit. It links remittance growth with higher transfers per worker, diversified destinations, currency depreciation and greater use of formal or digital channels. Despite ample liquidity and low lending rates, it describes subdued private credit associated with weak domestic demand. The update also identifies implementation constraints on capital spending, including disruption after September 2025 unrest, while imports grew faster than exports. Source 5.2

Businesses and agriculture

The 2018 Economic Census counted 923,356 establishments and 3,228,457 people engaged in them; 50.1 percent of establishments were registered. Its coverage excluded unregistered agriculture and several other sectors, and focused on fixed operating locations rather than every person earning income. Respondents could use interviews or internet self enumeration. Information about activity, employment, ownership and finances provided a basis for business registers and later sample surveys, making the census a structured picture of establishments within its defined scope. Source 5.3

Agricultural decisions also depend on information at much smaller scales. NARC and the Nepal Seed and Fertilizer project developed an interactive digital soil map with location specific properties and fertiliser requirements. Its described portal lets users choose provinces, districts, municipalities, points or areas, then download maps or tables. The catalogue limits the information to predicted values for agricultural surface soils and describes updates every two years. Intended users include farmers, extension staff, researchers and planners. Source 5.4

Tourism and electricity

The April 2025 foreword to Nepal Tourism Statistics records 1,147,548 international visitors in 2024. It recognises the work of tourism professionals, local communities, guides and porters alongside government agencies. The ministry identifies sustainable practices, infrastructure and protection of environmental and cultural assets as priorities. The publication itself draws on immigration, tourism, parks, training, aviation and mountaineering institutions, showing how several kinds of activity contribute to the official record of tourism. Source 5.5

Nepal Electricity Authority reported 5.71 million consumer accounts in 2024/25, excluding about 0.33 million served through Community Rural Electrification. Domestic consumers formed the large majority. Of total available energy, NEA and its subsidiaries contributed 34 percent, independent producers 55 percent and imports from India 11 percent. The report also records 2,380 gigawatt hours exported to India. These figures concern energy available during that year, not installed capacity. Source 5.6

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Chapter 6: Homes and community

Households and housing

The Nepal Living Standards Survey followed household life over July 2022 to June 2023, capturing seasonal variation in consumption. Its topics ranged from housing and services to migration and consumption. Food questions used a seven day recall, while non-food items used 30 days or 12 months. Meals eaten outside home were recorded separately for each person. The report estimates average annual nominal household consumption at 523,413 rupees, with almost 52 percent spent on food. Source 6.1

Habitat for Humanity describes housing as work involving families, local organisations, markets and public funding. In Nepal, its approach combines shelter design, technical support and community mobilisation with top-up assistance for vulnerable households. It works with microfinance partners on housing products and financial or digital literacy. It also promotes locally available materials such as bamboo, compressed stabilised earth blocks and rat-trap wall systems, using partnerships with businesses and orientation for families to develop affordable housing options. Source 6.2

Identity and public resources

A 2023 account hosted by UN ESCAP describes the Citizenship Affected People Network’s registration-awareness campaign. CAPN, formed in 2015, linked its November activities with an international initiative on childhood statelessness and education. Plans included sessions in six higher secondary schools, a TikTok campaign, and flyers or pamphlets for parents. The focus was practical information about birth registration and minor identity cards, presented through both schools and community communication. Source 6.3

A 2022 study by Nepal Administrative Staff College and UN Women examines how budgets can reflect gender equality and needs. It used a gender-responsive public-finance framework to assess federal processes and develop a baseline and roadmap connected with subnational budgeting. The diagnostic sought attention beyond planning and approval, including service delivery, reporting and audits. Its subject was how institutions and processes incorporate equality, rather than a measurement of whether public spending had already closed gender gaps. Source 6.4

Preparedness and protection

In the Karnali and Babai river basins, a Red Cross account from June 2023 describes preparation before predicted floods. NRCS and local authorities developed five municipal Early Action Frameworks with technical partners and European funding. Pre-identified, financed actions were designed for the three to seven days after specified triggers. These included warnings, evacuation, temporary shelter, community helpdesks, referrals, cash and water or sanitation support. Educational materials included videos in Nepali and Tharu. Source 6.5

The ILO’s 2023 protection-gap study examines effective coverage, legal coverage, benefit adequacy and public expenditure as separate questions. It recommends complementary contributory and non-contributory schemes to extend protection to workers and families while sustaining finance. In health protection, its analysis identifies coordination between the Social Security Fund and Health Insurance Board as a way to reduce duplication and a double burden on families. The report compares Nepal with regional and global experience. Source 6.6

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Chapter 7: Education and learning

School structure and reading

The Education Act text in the official repository defines basic education as extending from early childhood through Grade 8, and secondary education as Grades 9 to 12. It distinguishes community schools receiving regular government grants from institutional schools without those regular grants. Its curriculum section calls for government-approved curricula and textbooks. The Act groups both basic and secondary levels within its definition of school education. Source 7.1

Room to Read’s 2023 programme document describes three connected components: reading and writing instruction in Grades 1 and 2, child-friendly school libraries, and locally appropriate reading materials. It works with communities and local organisations, and began a programme in 100 Gorkha schools in 2022. The document planned baseline research within a 2023 to 2025 evaluation, using an Early Grade Literacy Skills assessment. Reading ability and the habit of reading were both central to the proposed investigation. Source 7.2

Inclusion and universities

UNICEF and CEHRD’s Learning Is for Everyone research examined disability-inclusive practices across Bagmati, Karnali, Koshi and Lumbini. Published in February 2026, it explored how promising approaches might expand. Its recommendations include standardised early screening, individual educational plans and Universal Design for Learning. Flexible assessment accommodations, stronger teacher capacity and accessible school infrastructure form the other priorities. The recommendations set short, medium and long term goals for implementation. Source 7.3

In June 2021, the World Bank approved 60 million US dollars for Nurturing Excellence in Higher Education. The announced programme aimed to improve quality, online learning and access for vulnerable students. It planned stronger links with labour-market needs, collaborative research, entrepreneurship and governance, alongside wider use of online platforms and blended learning. Targeted scholarships and equity grants to institutions in needy and disaster-affected areas were part of the intended approach to inclusion. Source 7.4

Lifelong learning and teaching

A UNESCO profile updated in 2012 traces community learning centres to earlier village reading initiatives. Locally managed centres offered learning outside formal schooling, combining literacy with livelihood skills, civic education, health and environmental topics. Elected management committees coordinated activities and facilitators. Training addressed learner needs, locally focused curricula and assessment, while monitoring included group reflection and exchanges between centres. The historical account presents learning as something communities organise around their own needs, not only something delivered in classrooms. Source 7.5

The British Council and NCED designed NIITE as a three-year teaching project beginning in January 2015. It focused on teachers of English and other subjects taught through English in government schools. Its cascade model used 105 master trainers and combined six days of face-to-face training, three days of action research and a day of mentoring or counselling. A shared manual and flashcards supported the work, with extra communicative-teaching support planned for pilot teachers in Jhapa, Nawalparasi and Surkhet. Source 7.6

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Chapter 8: Health and care

Campaigns and newborn care

WHO’s June 2025 account reports that Nepal’s HPV vaccination campaign reached more than 1.46 million girls, achieving 94 percent administrative coverage. The campaign had begun on 4 February and included schoolgirls in Grades 6 to 10 and girls outside school aged 10 to 14. Preparations included local planning workshops and vaccinator training. Monitors used an app-based system to identify problems during delivery, while outreach visits included brick kilns, factories, border areas and marginalised communities. Source 8.1

UNICEF’s May 2022 account follows the development of Kangaroo Mother Care units at three hospitals in Nepal’s southern plains. Teams assessed demand, available space and resources with hospital managers and nursing staff. Healthcare workers also needed preparation alongside the new rooms. With the Simulation Society of Nepal, UNICEF organised training in late 2020, initially online because of pandemic travel restrictions and later through simulation at the facilities. Narayani Hospital in Parsa District was among them. Source 8.2

Evidence and rehabilitation

The 2022 Demographic and Health Survey documents how evidence was collected. Of 13,833 occupied households in its selected sample, 13,786 were interviewed, giving a response rate above 99 percent. Interviews were completed with 14,845 eligible women aged 15 to 49 and, in the men’s subsample, 4,913 men. The report cautions readers about percentages based on small unweighted samples, using parentheses or suppressing values where numbers are especially limited. Source 8.3

A December 2013 ICRC brochure describes rehabilitation through referral, equipment and professional training. The ICRC and Nepal Red Cross Society identified people injured or disabled during the armed conflict and referred them to centres in Pokhara and Kathmandu. Support included custom-made artificial limbs, orthoses, crutches and wheelchairs, with physiotherapy to help recipients use devices. The brochure also records sponsorship for Nepali students to study prosthetics and orthotics in Phnom Penh, connecting local services with specialist training. Source 8.4

Systems and survivor support

Nepal joined WHO’s Special Initiative for Mental Health in 2021. Its programme profile describes strengthening national and provincial administrative structures, preparing sustainable programme transitions and developing a toolkit for municipalities. Other activities include suicide-prevention systems and registries, identifying gaps in support for people living with epilepsy, and developing a dementia care plan. This administrative work includes the Epidemiology and Disease Control Division. Source 8.5

At the first national conference on hospital-based One Stop Crisis Management Centres in November 2024, more than 400 frontline providers came together from 92 centres. The meeting focused on coordinated, rights-based support for survivors of gender-based violence. Its concluding commitments included sustainable resources, awareness campaigns, staff training and stronger links between sectors. Participants also proposed using technologies such as telemedicine to extend reach, placing survivor-centred care and local ownership at the centre of the action plan. Source 8.6

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Chapter 9: Connections and movement

Airports and bridges

ADB’s airport-capacity project description, updated in December 2023, sets out works at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu and Gautam Buddha Airport in Lumbini. The design includes a parallel taxiway extension and domestic apron areas at Tribhuvan, and a new international terminal at Gautam Buddha. Its rationale stresses efficient airport space use and distributing international traffic. Separate environmental management plans identify mitigation measures, responsible organisations and monitoring arrangements for the construction work. Source 9.1

A November 2018 agreement announced financing for Nepal’s Second Bridges Improvement and Maintenance Program. Its target of approximately 477 bridges on the Strategic Roads Network combined several kinds of work: maintenance, road-safety upgrades, construction, rehabilitation and replacement. The planned package included about 90 bridges for maintenance and 180 for safety measures. It also aimed to help the Department of Roads complete 92 bridges already under construction, as part of the announced programme. Source 9.2

Roads and internet exchange

Japan’s embassy reported a completion ceremony for the Nagdhunga Tunnel on 27 July 2026. Its account describes a mountain road connection between Kathmandu Valley and western Nepal, intended to improve the movement of people and goods. Construction had faced unexpected ground conditions and a major rain-related slope failure on the western side. The report credits collaboration between Japanese and Nepali engineering professionals in overcoming those obstacles and emphasises maintenance as part of the infrastructure’s future use. The embassy identifies it as Nepal’s first mountain road tunnel. Source 9.3

Internet Exchange Nepal describes a different kind of connection: allowing internet providers to exchange local traffic within the country. Established in 2002, npIX is registered as a non-profit company. Its institutional profile explains that keeping local traffic local can reduce the need for international bandwidth and support access to locally hosted content. Source 9.4

Urban and rural networks

The Town Development Fund’s 2017 account of Kathmandu Sustainable Urban Transport sets out a financing role within a wider transport programme. It planned support for a pilot route from Gongabu to Sinamangal and a revolving fund using repayments from a bus operator. The wider objectives included traffic management, walking routes, sidewalks and air-quality monitoring. TDF’s own role focused on financing electric or low-emission fleets, distinguishing its financing from other proposed urban improvements. Source 9.5

After the 2015 Gorkha earthquake, Wireless for Communities worked with the Nepal Wireless Networking Project to plan rural connections. Teams surveyed damaged infrastructure and consulted village, school and health-centre committees. The first phase connected 12 schools and three clinics across 14 villages using solar-powered wireless networks. Technical and digital-literacy workshops accompanied deployment so residents could use and maintain the systems. Local contributions included an FM station lending its tower for a base station, alongside support from network companies. Source 9.6

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Chapter 10: Skills and working life

Learning with workplaces

ENSSURE’s description of dual vocational apprenticeships combines technical-school learning with experience in businesses. Its hospitality diploma model spans six semesters: the first and last at the institute, with workplace learning during the middle four and one institute day each week. Schools and industries jointly assess apprentices, with final certification through CTEVT. The design also provides an intermediate exit after four semesters, allowing a pre-diploma qualification within a pathway that can continue towards the full diploma. Source 10.1

The ILO Skills for Employment Programme ran from August 2017 to July 2021 with United Kingdom support. Its objectives linked domestic employment with better governance of labour migration, recognising migration’s importance while seeking to reduce long-term dependence on it. Work areas included social dialogue, industrial relations and employment-focused planning. The programme also sought partnerships that represented young people, women and marginalised groups, and improvements in how labour law and social security were implemented. Source 10.2

Recognition and reform

The Nepal Vocational Qualifications System addresses skills gained outside formal courses as well as through education. Its 2020 to 2026 project profile describes a route towards recognised certification for people with work experience. CTEVT and the National Skill Testing Board implement the programme, with Swiss support and Swisscontact technical assistance. Priorities included recognition of prior learning, competency standards, assessment centres and employer participation, aiming to connect qualifications with the skills that businesses need. Source 10.3

ADB’s June 2020 Skills Development Project completion report distinguishes design from implementation. The project aimed to improve training quality and relevance, strengthen management and involve employers closely. Its design included additional basic-skills places and quality improvements at ten CTEVT schools. The report says implementation accelerated after a slow start, but the transition to a federal system disrupted foundational reform work. A proposed sector strategy and financing fund could not proceed as intended while the relevant legislation remained unresolved. Source 10.4

Fields and enterprise

A January 2014 assessment by Nepal Development Research Institute examined the National Integrated Pest Management programme. Farmer field schools were central to its participatory approach, with intensive work in twelve districts across Tarai, middle hill and mountain settings. The assessment surveyed 506 households in five selected districts, revisiting baseline households where possible. It considered livelihoods, farm resources, participation and decision making, within its defined research sample. Source 10.5

Swisscontact’s Youth Employment Project in the Terai used modular vocational training so participants could take components suited to educational backgrounds. The 2017 to 2020 programme combined technical skills with entrepreneurship and local institutional capacity. Its partners included enterprises, educational and financial institutions, and local radio stations. The provider reports 2,898 people completing entrepreneurship or skills training and 1,962 skills-development graduates finding jobs or becoming self-employed. It reports that 200 graduates established businesses. Source 10.6

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11. Habitats and stewardship

Lowlands and mountains

Chitwan brings together sal forest, riverine woodland and grasslands in the central Terai. UNESCO describes its river valleys and Siwalik hills as connected habitats supporting rhinoceros, tigers and other native wildlife. Its conservation account also identifies poaching, invasive plants and pollution as management concerns. Protecting rivers and maintaining grasslands therefore sit alongside the practical challenge of balancing conservation with the needs of people living around the park and its surrounding buffer zone. (Source 11.1).

Sagarmatha National Park combines high mountains, glaciers and deeply cut valleys with inhabited settlements. Its UNESCO account describes conservation through both park administration and community participation. Local leaders, elders, religious representatives and park authorities have contributed to an advisory committee, while buffer zone groups provide other channels for management. The account also identifies waste disposal, fuelwood demand and development pressure as continuing challenges in a landscape where tourism, livelihoods and ecological protection meet. (Source 11.2).

Wetland connections

The Ramsar summary based on information from 1995 describes Koshi Tappu as a section of the Sapta Kosi River and its floodplain. Mudflats, reedbeds and freshwater marshes form a varied wetland used by staging waterbirds. The surrounding land uses included subsistence fishing and rice cultivation. This historical description places the river within a working landscape, where aquatic habitats and nearby food production occupy closely connected spaces. (Source 11.3).

The 2007 Ramsar profile of Gokyo describes a system of glacial lakes near the headwaters of the Dudh Koshi. Alpine meadows and mountain slopes surround the water, supporting plants, birds and mammals associated with the high Himalayas. The profile identifies the lakes as a water source for downstream communities. It also records concerns about waste, sewage and pressure on vegetation, connecting the condition of mountain wetlands with activities around their shores. (Source 11.4).

Shared management

The Nepali institutional profile of Bardiya describes sal woodland, grasslands and riverine forest in the western Terai. Its account links the Karnali River with aquatic habitats, including those used by crocodiles and dolphins, and describes the Babai Valley as a diverse ecological setting. It also explains that park authorities and local communities jointly manage the buffer zone, combining natural resource management with community development activities around the protected area. (Source 11.5).

The National Trust for Nature Conservation traces the Annapurna Conservation Area Project to a 1986 pilot in Ghandruk. Its 2016 report describes an approach combining conservation with community development, later applied across the conservation area designated in 1992. Natural resource management was linked with alternative energy, tourism and gender development. The report emphasises local participation throughout planning, implementation and monitoring, presenting conservation as an ongoing organisational relationship as well as protection of habitats. Seven conservation offices supported management across the area. (Source 11.6).

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12. Food and everyday knowledge

Rice and fermentation

FAO describes Jumla Marshy Rice as a distinctive pink rice associated with villages in northwestern Nepal, including Sinja Valley and Tatopani. Its product account records river irrigation, harvesting, drying and winnowing, followed by transport to Kathmandu for further processing and packaging. Rice also has a ceremonial setting: the account describes offerings during Dashain and Tihar. Agricultural work, marketing and religious observance thus appear together in this portrait of a particular regional crop. (Source 12.1).

A 1983 study describes gundruk as a fermented vegetable food made from plants such as mustard, rape and radish. The researchers investigated the bacteria and chemical changes associated with its characteristic acidic taste and flavour. They identified several groups of lactic acid bacteria and described changes in their dominance during fermentation. The study offers a microbiological view of a familiar food, connecting sensory qualities with observations of naturally occurring microbial communities. (Source 12.2).

Seeds and school meals

At Pingdanda in Sindhupalchowk, LI-BIRD describes establishing a community seed bank through consultation with farmers. Crop inventories, local knowledge and biodiversity registers helped document the varieties available in the community. Training covered conservation, seed production, certification and organisational governance. The account reports that the bank conserved 117 varieties from thirty one crop species, including grains, beans and vegetables. It also describes prioritising seed access for women, marginalised farmers and smallholders through local institutions. Dedicated seed and biodiversity management funds supported the organisation. (Source 12.3).

A June 2026 WFP announcement distinguishes a school meal pilot completed in 2025 from a planned expansion during 2026–2027. The pilot reportedly reached about seventy thousand children; the next phase aimed for a similar reach. Its approach links schools with nearby farmers and cooperatives, supporting locally designed menus and supply chains. Planned kitchen improvements included ventilation, cleaner cooking and hygiene facilities, while local government leadership was intended to strengthen the meal system. (Source 12.4).

Celebration and research

The Nepal Tourism Board associates Yomari Punhi with prayers for a good rice harvest among Newar communities. It describes yomari as a steamed, fish shaped dumpling containing molasses or condensed milk with sesame. An origin story links it to a couple in Panauti experimenting with a new harvest. Presented as a belief, that story connects a sweet food with gratitude, seasonal crops and the development of celebratory customs. (Source 12.5).

Surendra Bahadur Katawal’s 2013 thesis examined sel-roti through a survey of 126 respondents in the former Eastern and Central Development Regions. Its abstract describes a sweet, ring shaped rice food and records questions about ingredients, equipment, processing and cultural uses. The research also considered how rice characteristics and other production factors affected quality. This regional investigation documents practical food knowledge alongside questions about production and marketing, drawing on the experiences of its particular respondents. (Source 12.6).

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13. Creative expression

Making and listening

The Janakpur Women’s Development Centre describes its work as combining Mithila arts with training and income generating opportunities. Women from neighbouring villages produce paintings and handicrafts while developing artistic and business skills. Its activities include papier mache, sewing, screen printing and ceramics as well as painting. The centre presents these forms of making as a way to preserve local artistic traditions and introduce the work of Maithili women to wider markets. (Source 13.1).

The Music Museum of Nepal traces its beginnings to Ram Prasad Kadel’s collection of folk instruments in 1995. Its preservation work extends beyond the objects themselves to melodies, playing techniques, dance and instrument making skills. The museum describes audiovisual recording, digitisation, publications and musical notation as parts of its programme. It has also reconstructed instruments using temple imagery and older people’s recollections, linking material evidence with remembered sounds and techniques. Its journal, Baja, publishes articles in Nepali and English. (Source 13.2).

Archives and literature

Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya grew from Kamal Mani Dixit’s personal literary collection into an archive established in 1955. Its institutional account describes books and periodicals alongside posters, pamphlets, letters, photographs and recordings in Nepali. Such materials preserve different kinds of traces of social and literary life. Cataloguing, microfilming and digitisation support the preservation of vulnerable items, while the archive also administers the Madan Puraskar and Jagadamba Shree literary prizes. (Source 13.3).

Michael Hutt’s Himalayan Voices appeared in 1991 as an introduction to modern Nepali literature. The publisher describes profiles of eleven poets, translations of more than eighty poems written between 1916 and 1986, and twenty short stories. Its account highlights writing about social change, agrarian relations, caste and women’s lives. The book offers English readers a route into poetry and fiction from twentieth century Nepal, through an explicitly translated selection rather than a complete literary survey. (Source 13.4).

Screens and painted worlds

The Kathmandu International Mountain Film Festival, known as kimff, describes bringing films about mountain communities and cultures to Nepali audiences since 2000. Its Nepal Panorama platform, introduced in 2007, includes both fiction and nonfiction by Nepali filmmakers. Discussions, photography, masterclasses and storytelling workshops extend the festival beyond screenings. The foundation’s stated aims include opportunities for filmmakers and audiences to meet, develop skills and explore contemporary questions through independent cinema and other forms of visual storytelling. (Source 13.5).

The Smithsonian catalogue dates a Nepalese paubha painting to 1715 and identifies its medium as distemper on cotton. Its description places Vishnu, Shiva, Devi and their companions within two superimposed temples, separated by a band carrying an inscription in Newari. The catalogue explains that the inscription includes the date Nepal Samvat 835. This particular object brings together sacred figures, architectural representation and written dating within a single painted composition. (Source 13.6).

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14. Heritage and its care

Places of memory

UNESCO describes Lumbini through archaeological remains associated with Buddhist pilgrimage. The conservation area includes the Shakya Tank, structures within the Maya Devi Temple and the inscribed Ashoka pillar. Monastery and stupa remains document successive periods of use. Protecting these traces requires attention to humidity, natural deterioration and visitor impacts. The heritage account therefore connects the significance of pilgrimage with the continuing work of conserving fragile structures and managing the surrounding environment. (Source 14.1).

Patan Museum’s institutional history centres on Keshav Narayan Chowk, a palace courtyard named after its central temple. Cooperation between Nepal and Austria led to repair work beginning in 1982 and the development of a teaching museum. The account describes the transformation of an architectural setting into an institution for sharing knowledge about Buddhist traditions in Patan. Restoration and interpretation became linked parts of the same cultural project. (Source 14.2).

Skills and excavation

In a report on a museum training course held in Japan during November and December 2015, education officer Mimi Pradhan described learning relevant to her work at Nepal’s National Museum. The course combined theoretical discussion with practical activities in documentation, registration, exhibitions and collection management. Her account emphasises the value of working with specialists and connecting these skills with conservation responsibilities, offering a personal view of professional learning across institutions. (Source 14.3).

Researchers investigating Tilaurakot’s northern rampart identified a sequence from timber palisades to a clay rampart and later brick fortification. Their dating placed early timber boundaries in the sixth century BCE, alongside evidence of cultivation before urban development. They also considered whether the palisades responded to flooding from the Banaganga River rather than only defining settlement space. Further investigation elsewhere around the site was needed to distinguish these possible functions of its early boundaries. Later fortifications followed the earlier east to west alignment. (Source 14.4).

Documentation and return

Nepal’s 2008 tentative submission describes Lo Manthang as an earthen walled settlement on a historic trade route along the Kali Gandaki. Within its walls, the submission identifies a palace, monasteries, rows of chhortens and mane walls. It presents the compact settlement through its architecture and religious landscape. This is a national proposal on the tentative list, a stage that records a place for consideration rather than establishing World Heritage inscription. (Source 14.5).

In October 2023, the Metropolitan Museum of Art announced an agreement to return two objects to Nepal: a thirteenth century wooden temple strut and an eleventh century stone image of Vishnu with Lakshmi and Garuda. The museum said new information from colleagues in Nepal had led to the decision. Its announcement described transport arrangements being made, documenting a particular restitution agreement and the collaboration that preceded the proposed movement of the objects. (Source 14.6).

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15. Science and discovery

Reconstructing change

A 2021 study led by the University of Leeds reconstructed the former extent of 14,798 Himalayan glaciers using satellite images and elevation models. Ridges marking older ice boundaries helped the team estimate changes since the Little Ice Age. The researchers found faster recent losses, with variation across the mountain range, including eastern Nepal. Their interpretation also emphasised the influence of lakes and surface debris, showing why glacier change requires attention to different physical settings. (Source 15.1).

Researchers studying the Gorkha earthquake of 25 April 2015 combined GPS and radar observations to model its rupture. Their analysis described a slip pulse about twenty kilometres wide moving towards the Kathmandu basin. The authors connected the character of the rupture with moderate shaking at higher frequencies, while longer period resonance affected tall structures. This investigation used measurements of movement to examine how one major earthquake produced different patterns of shaking and damage. (Source 15.2).

Air and living populations

Measurements taken in Lumbini during the premonsoon season of 2013 revealed daily cycles in air pollution, with higher values in the morning and evening. The researchers associated severe episodes with agricultural burning, regional forest fires and weather conditions that transported pollution. Their modelling underestimated some measured concentrations. They therefore called for improved modelling and a network of longer term monitoring stations, using a specific field campaign to identify gaps in regional atmospheric understanding. (Source 15.3).

A red panda study published in April 2026 identified thirty five individuals through genetic analysis of collected samples. Its results supported two main clusters, separating western animals from a central and eastern group. The western sample showed lower heterozygosity, while the researchers found evidence of genetic connections within the central and eastern group. These findings concern the sampled animals and their population structure, adding genetic evidence to the study of Himalayan wildlife. (Source 15.4).

Space and fieldwork

The BIRDS-3 mission included NepaliSat-1 alongside satellites associated with Sri Lanka and Japan. A technical paper reported that the three small satellites had operated since June 2019. Their cameras were intended mainly for outreach images, with image size shaped by limited transmission capacity and short daily communication windows. The account explains an engineering compromise: pictures needed to be useful for media while remaining small enough to send to a ground station. (Source 15.5).

ICIMOD planned a November 2024 expedition to Yala Glacier combining data collection, equipment maintenance and training for regional partners. Participants were to practise snow density measurements, glacier mass balance monitoring and work with weather stations and cameras. The planned programme involved institutions from Nepal, Bhutan and Pakistan. ICIMOD’s account places the expedition within monitoring undertaken with Nepalese partners since 2011, connecting repeated field observations with the development of practical research skills. (Source 15.6).

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16. Sport and participation

Supporting athletes

In December 2025, the Nepal Olympic Committee announced its Road to LA initiative in Kathmandu. Eight athletes from judo, badminton, table tennis, tennis, cycling, climbing, golf and swimming were selected for monthly assistance. The announced support was intended for training, international competition exposure and livelihoods while preparing for the 2028 Olympics. The committee also described assistance for athletes selected for the Asian and Youth Olympic Games, presenting sustained financial support as part of its athlete development approach. The selected group included judoka Manita Shrestha Pradhan and badminton player Prince Dahal, alongside cyclist Usha Khanal. (Source 16.1).

Nepal’s cricket team came within one run of South Africa at the 2024 men’s T20 World Cup. The match took place on 14 June at Arnos Vale in St Vincent. South Africa finished with 115 for seven, while Nepal reached 114 for seven after twenty overs. Tabraiz Shamsi was named player of the match after taking four wickets for nineteen runs, from the four overs he bowled during the match. (Source 16.2).

Competition and achievement

The 2024 SAFF women’s championship final brought Nepal and Bangladesh together at Dasharath Stadium in Kathmandu. Played on 30 October, the match ended with Bangladesh winning by two goals to one. The official result records a regional final contested on Nepalese home ground. (Source 16.3).

Palesha Goverdhan won bronze in Para taekwondo at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, becoming Nepal’s first Paralympic medallist. She defeated Marija Micev of Serbia by fifteen points to eight in the bronze match at the Grand Palais. In a January 2025 interview, she described the attention that followed and her return to architecture studies in China. Her account also recalled balancing study, training and qualification events, giving a personal perspective on the work behind the medal. Her bronze came in the women’s K44 category below fifty seven kilograms. (Source 16.4).

Different routes into sport

Special Olympics Nepal’s programme page describes opportunities for children and adults with intellectual disabilities through sports training and competition throughout the year. Its stated aims include physical fitness, developing skills and sharing friendship. The account places local volunteers alongside athletes within that continuing programme of participation. (Source 16.5).

Paddle Worldwide reported in March 2025 that thirty eight athletes had taken part in Nepal’s thirteenth national canoe slalom championship on the Trishuli River the previous month. Association representatives described events and training on several rivers as ways to develop the sport. They also identified an equipment constraint: competitions were being organised with ordinary play boats because dedicated slalom boats were scarce. Their account connects the growth of a national event with the practical resources needed by its paddlers. Bhotekoshi was another river named for hosting events and regular athlete training. (Source 16.6).

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17. Environmental challenges and responses

Rain and observation

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology documented exceptional rainfall during 27–29 September 2024. Its report recorded new daily precipitation extremes at twenty five stations across fourteen districts on 28 September. Daman received 517 millimetres over the three day period. The report linked persistent rain with flooding, landslides and disruption, identifying the Bagmati, Narayani and Koshi basins as particularly affected. These station observations provide a dated account of a major rainfall event. (Source 17.1).

NASA’s comparison of Landsat images from April and May 2012 recorded changes around the Seti River after a landslide. Its caption identified a broad strip of mud coloured debris east of the river channel as the clearest difference. The images used natural colour, while diagonal gaps reflected a partial satellite failure. Reading the comparison therefore involved both visible landscape change and an understanding of the instrument’s missing data. (Source 17.2).

Planning across systems

The World Bank’s 2022 climate and development report proposed four connected areas of change: water, agriculture and forests; energy; urban environmental quality; and resilient transport connections. It also highlighted early warnings, community assets, skills and social protection as ways to strengthen resilience. Its recommendations placed disaster risk management across levels of government and called for coordinated climate finance, treating environmental challenges as questions for public institutions and economic planning as well as individual sectors. (Source 17.3).

The Gandaki Basin Climate Resilient Project is designed around the river basin rather than separate administrative boundaries. Its seven year programme links upstream and downstream communities through ecosystem and livelihood adaptation. Proposed activities include agroforestry, more efficient water use and restoration intended to reduce the effects of floods and landslides. Community planning, monitoring and maintenance are part of the design, alongside technical capacity for managing ecosystems across the connected landscape of the Gandaki Basin. (Source 17.4).

Industry and mountain water

In March 2026, the World Bank announced approval of a fifty two million dollar credit for Nepal’s Clean Air and Prosperity Project. The design focuses on industrial and commercial boilers and furnaces in Kathmandu Valley, the Terai and nearby foothills. Financing, incentives and technical assistance were intended to help around four hundred enterprises adopt cleaner equipment. The announcement described a planned transition in production technology together with stronger systems for air quality management. (Source 17.5).

A 2020 ICIMOD and UNDP inventory examined glacial lakes across the transboundary Koshi, Gandaki and Karnali basins. It mapped 3,624 lakes at or above its minimum area threshold, including 2,070 in Nepal. Within that coverage, researchers identified forty seven potentially dangerous lakes, twenty one of them in Nepal. Three categories organised their potential danger and monitoring needs. The inventory supplied a historical basis for studying changing mountain water systems and prioritising further observation. (Source 17.6).

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18. Regional and global connections

Frameworks for cooperation

The United Nations cooperation framework for Nepal during 2023–2027 groups its work into four connected priorities. Economic transformation and human development sit alongside environmental resilience, governance and participation. Its account describes consultation with diverse stakeholders and guiding principles centred on rights, inclusion, gender equality and sustainability. Accountability and transparency are also part of the framework, which sets a shared direction for cooperation rather than describing a single service or local project. (Source 18.1).

Nepal is among the governments named in the charter establishing the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation. The charter links regional cooperation with welfare, economic progress, cultural development and scientific collaboration. Its principles emphasise sovereign equality, political independence, mutual benefit and noninterference. It also states that regional cooperation should complement existing bilateral and multilateral relationships, setting out a structure through which neighbouring countries could pursue shared interests without replacing their other international commitments. The objectives also include mutual assistance and cooperation with other developing countries. (Source 18.2).

Trade and regional dialogue

Nepal became the World Trade Organization’s 147th member on 23 April 2004. The accession process had begun with negotiations in 1989, followed by approval of the package at the Cancun ministerial conference in September 2003. Nepal notified the organisation of completed ratification on 24 March 2004. The accession protocol entered into force thirty days later, marking the final step described in the WTO’s historical account of membership. (Source 18.3).

Kathmandu hosted two related BIMSTEC tourism meetings in January 2024. A workshop on 17 January brought government representatives, the Asian Development Bank and the secretariat together to discuss a proposed strategy and implementation challenges. The following day, an expert group with all member states represented finalised an updated draft action plan. Nepal chaired that meeting as the lead for people to people contact, with discussions also addressing a tourism information centre and fund. (Source 18.4).

Partnership and service

The Asian Development Bank launched its Nepal partnership strategy for 2025–2029 in June 2025. Its priorities connect employment and private enterprise with public services, human development and environmental resilience. The stated approach includes infrastructure, skills and links to regional and global value chains. Prepared through a joint strategic approach with the World Bank framework, it also envisages cooperation through policy dialogue, portfolio reviews, knowledge sharing and possible joint financing of projects. (Source 18.5).

A United Nations peacekeeping profile records a February 2019 tribute to Nepalese women and men after more than six decades of service. Its accompanying historical caption describes peacekeepers arriving in Isale, Burundi, in December 2004 to check security and the local population. The profile presents peacekeeping through service beyond national borders, including protection of vulnerable communities and support for countries moving from conflict towards peace. (Source 18.6).

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19. Creativity and enterprise

Measuring and experimenting

WIPO’s 2025 Global Innovation Index placed Nepal 107th overall. Within that edition, the country ranked first on the indicator for loans from microfinance institutions, seventh for credit and eleventh for gross capital formation. These results identify particular strengths within the index’s assessment of access to finance and investment, alongside its broader comparison of innovation systems. (Source 19.1).

The UNDP Nepal Accelerator Lab describes experiments addressing urbanisation and unemployment. Its portfolio includes small public parks, circular economy approaches and energy recovery from plastic waste. Other work explores skills mapping, job matching and electronic commerce platforms. By presenting these activities as experiments, the lab places testing and learning at the centre of its approach to local needs, connecting questions about public space and materials with opportunities for work and entrepreneurship. (Source 19.2).

Ideas and digital systems

The British Council’s In Our Hands programme links youth entrepreneurship with a creative green economy. Its design combines research, business planning, grants for prototypes and mentoring over several months. The curriculum brings together five ideas: Place, People, Planet, Purpose and Profit. Developed through the Road to COP26 campaign and earlier Crafting Futures activities, it connects cultural heritage with environmental purposes and business development, encouraging participants to consider relationships beyond financial return alone. (Source 19.3).

In February 2026, the World Bank approved fifty million dollars for Nepal’s Digital Transformation Project. The announced design includes an online citizen service portal, social registry, data exchange and a digital locker for credentials. Land administration was among the services planned for phased digitisation. Electronic signatures, cybersecurity and data governance were also included, linking new platforms with the institutional arrangements intended to support trust and public service delivery in the digital economy. Implementation was assigned to the communications ministry and the Department of National ID and Civil Registration. (Source 19.4).

Participation and finance

Voices of Change, described by the European Union in July 2026, aims to expand opportunities for marginalised young people in cultural and creative industries. Its intended participants include women, Dalit communities and gender and sexual minorities. The project proposes skills training, incubation and inclusive creative hubs in Sudurpaschim, Madhesh and Kathmandu. FCA and its consortium partners are associated with the work, which also seeks stronger recognition of creative activity as a formal economic sector. (Source 19.5).

IFC announced new risk sharing facilities with Siddhartha Bank and Laxmi Sunrise Bank in September 2026. The arrangement covers loan portfolios of forty million and twenty million dollars respectively, sharing half the risk on eligible small business loans. Its priorities include women owned enterprises and firms adopting cleaner technology. Technical assistance was also planned to support implementation and environmental and social risk management, complementing the financial mechanism intended to encourage lending. (Source 19.6).

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20. Choices for shared futures

Coexistence and young voices

The GEF supported Human–Tiger Interface project approaches coexistence through several connected tasks. WWF’s project description combines policy and municipal planning with frontline response capacity, livelihood options and proposed relief and insurance pilots. Habitat work focuses on grasslands and wetlands inside protected areas, while knowledge exchange is intended to share lessons more widely. The design joins the needs of people living near wildlife with practical questions about habitat management and responses to conflict. (Source 20.1).

More than one hundred children and young people joined BaYu Sambaad in Kathmandu on 26 April 2025. The climate dialogue included youth solutions, videos, expert sessions and discussions between generations. Participants developed a declaration setting out demands, commitments and proposed actions. It was intended for submission to the Sagarmatha Sambaad secretariat, carrying the voices of young participants into a wider conversation about climate, essential services and mountain ecosystems. (Source 20.2).

Public space and leadership

Cities 4 Women brings UN-Habitat, UNOPS and Cities Alliance together around inclusive and climate responsive urban planning. Its design includes public spaces, municipal guidance and opportunities for women officials to influence planning and budgets. UN-Habitat’s account identifies Lamkichuha alongside five municipalities led by UNOPS. Proposed activities range from reviewing participation gaps to designing spaces with communities and sharing knowledge between institutions, treating the planning process itself as part of the intended change. (Source 20.3).

A separate climate smart villages initiative supported by UN Women focuses on women’s leadership in selected municipalities of Sindhuli and Kavrepalanchowk. The implementing consortium describes workshops, gender data collection and documentation of indigenous knowledge as parts of its planned work. Women’s groups were to receive regular sessions and support for climate and disaster advocacy. The programme links local knowledge with action planning, aiming to strengthen participation in decisions affecting community resilience. (Source 20.4).

Farming and energy

IFAD’s description of the Resilient High Value Agricultural Programme draws on its April 2024 design report. The programme aims to support smallholders across eighty palikas in Lumbini, Karnali and Sudurpashchim. Its four components connect agroecological production skills with resilient infrastructure, market aggregation and stronger institutions. The intended transition is towards food systems that are profitable and inclusive as well as environmentally sustainable, linking what farmers produce with the systems through which products reach markets. (Source 20.5).

The Renewable Energy for Rural Livelihood programme began in 2011 after an earlier rural energy initiative. UNDP’s account describes work with Nepal’s Alternative Energy Promotion Centre, including a 2014–2019 focus on mini hydropower, solar mini grids and solar pumps. Later technical support for the SASEC off grid component included community mobilisation, institutional development and construction supervision. Productive energy use and operational skills were part of this approach to connecting renewable systems with rural livelihoods. (Source 20.6).

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Frequently asked questions about Nepal

Where does UN M49 place Nepal?

It groups Nepal in Southern Asia, within Asia. This is a statistical classification. Source FAQ1

What does household consumption measure?

The living standards survey measures household food and non-food consumption. Its household average is not an individual income figure. Source FAQ2

How did the multilingual classroom approach work?

Teachers began with familiar mother tongues, introduced Nepali gradually and used peer explanations and locally developed materials. Source FAQ3

Were the 2018 bridge figures completed works?

No. They were programme targets covering maintenance, safety upgrades, new construction and completion of existing works. Source FAQ4

What is gundruk?

A fermented vegetable food described in Nepalese food research. (Source 12.2).

What does kimff focus on?

Films and conversations about mountain communities and cultures. (Source 13.5).

When did Nepal join the WTO?

On 23 April 2004. (Source 18.3).

What did BaYu Sambaad involve?

A youth climate dialogue and declaration in April 2025. (Source 20.2).

Continue reading: specialist guides to Nepal

These guides offer focused educational reading. Visitor-oriented pages do not confirm current access, safety, opening times or services, and vocabulary material is a reading resource rather than a claim about every community.

Explore the Everything About Countries archive for more national overviews. The companion How Countries Work archive follows the systems behind everyday life.

Bring the evidence together

Choose a place, practice or community project from these chapters. Which details describe observations, which explain an earlier event, and which set out an aim? Compare two examples and write a question that would help you understand them more fully.

Sources and further evidence

Sources consulted 25 October 2026; observations retain their original dates.