Kathmandu, 16 September 2026
Project Abhaya convened the Central-Level Reform Prioritisation and Validation Forum on Monday in Kathmandu. The forum brought together more than 30 participants representing political parties, civil society, youth networks, legal and media communities, and fiscal and governance experts.
The forum reviewed and validated Project Abhaya’s Reform Pathways Document, developed through more than five months of research, provincial engagement, and consultations on fiscal transparency and accountability in Nepal. The discussion assessed the relevance and feasibility of the proposed reforms within Nepal’s legal, institutional, and federal context and identified areas requiring further refinement.
Research and Reform Pathways Consultant Dipesh Ghimire presented 24 reform pathways across six clusters: credible planning and budgeting, transparent and accountable resource allocation, effective implementation and institutional capacity, intergovernmental fiscal governance, results and citizen accountability, and fiscal sustainability and continuous reform. The pathways are structured across immediate, short-term, and medium-term implementation periods.
Participants highlighted several priorities, including realistic and needs-based budgeting, stronger project readiness and prioritisation, greater procurement and contract transparency, and better use of data in fiscal decision-making. Discussions also emphasised the need to strengthen provincial and local governments and improve coordination among all three levels of government.
Citizen participation emerged as a central theme. Participants called for stronger citizen involvement in project prioritisation, fiscal disclosure, public hearings, social audits, grievance mechanisms, and the monitoring of public expenditure and outcomes. They also stressed that fiscal information should be accessible and understandable to citizens.
Participants further recommended clearer baselines and indicators, stronger institutional mapping, greater involvement of lawmakers, and a shift from measuring expenditure alone towards assessing the results and public value generated by government spending.
Feedback from the forum will be incorporated into the next version of the Reform Pathways Document, followed by an online validation forum and further consultations. The revised document will inform Project Abhaya’s continued engagement with government institutions, parliamentary bodies, provincial and local stakeholders, civil society, youth networks, and other actors working to strengthen fiscal transparency and public accountability in Nepal.
