Effective representative democracy requires the engagement of citizens

From 2008 to 2017 the Nepalese government and a group of donors supported local governance programmes that included important social mobilisation activities. These were designed to engage citizens with local government in order to strengthen the demand side of governance. The post-conflict condition of Nepal rendered the country fragile and the lack of elected local bodies weakened accountability. It was critical to reestablish the relation between citizen and local government to rebuilding the state.

Today a new federal constitution is being implemented. Locally elected representatives are again a part of local government. The retaining of citizen engagement with local government is critical for taking the process forward. In this report, the potential for social mobilisation is found to be considerable, but it needs to be recognized and built upon.