2009 Assessment

This peer-reviewed country report includes:

Integrity Indicators Scorecard: Scores, scoring criteria, commentary, references, and peer review perspectives for more than 300 Integrity Indicators.

Reporter's Notebook: An on-the-ground look at corruption and integrity from a leading local journalist.

Corruption Timeline: Ten years of political context to today's corruption and integrity issues.

Nepal's network of anti-corruption agencies "lacks consistency in approach and clear areas of jurisdiction, resulting in frequently overlapping functions." While many corruption-related legal reforms were adopted in 2007, their implementation has been stalled as the government's focus "shifted to peace building, conflict resolution, social inclusion and elections." Following this, Constituent Assembly elections were held in 2008 for the first time in six years. Monitoring of those elections was more effective than ever before despite the election monitoring agency's lack of staff and electronic voting technology being limited to the Kathmandu district. Nepali voters elected representatives from 25 different opposition parties into office. While this diverse make-up was intended to provide greater representation for the rural poor, in reality greater levels of tension and political infighting have arisen, delaying legislative-driven action. For example, the executive's budget proposal for 2009 has yet to be approved by the legislature. Since Nepal's People's Movement II of 2006, the media has continued to expand, especially broadcast media. Unfortunately, so have attacks on journalists. The fear of violent reprisals and the control of journalism unions by political parties have retarded the professionalization of this growing field.