Denmark has committed DKK 170 million (approximately USD 30 million) to the efforts from the Government of Nepal, the United Nations and local and international NGOs to ensure the implementation of Nepal's peace process.
Nepal is still in a post-conflict phase of development with key elements of the Comprehensive Peace Accord signed in 2006 under implementation. While steps forward have been made, a number of major milestones remain to be fully implemented or are still outstanding. These unresolved issues pose a threat to stability and public security as well as hamper the development of Nepal.
Denmark’s peace support programme is managed by the Danish Embassy in Kathmandu and conforms to the priorities set out in Denmark's Interim Strategy for development assistance to Nepal The Strategy aims to (a) promote a democratic political environment, with respect for human rights and the rule of law, and a peaceful resolution of the [armed] conflict and (b) contribute to poverty reduction in a peace and conflict sensitive manner. The peace support programme supports efforts from the Government of Nepal, the United Nations, Nepali and international non-governmental organizations to re-generate and then maintain momentum on the peace process to deliver a sustainable peace. The programme should be seen in the context of other Danish programmes, particularly the Human Rights and Good Governance (HUGOU) programme. The two programmes are designed to complement each other: While HUGOU generally focuses on human rights and structural aspects essential for sustainable democracy, the peace support programme addresses more urgent peace building and security tasks that could destabilise the process if not resolved. This allows Denmark to pursue a holistic approach to addressing both threats to the peace and underlying root causes of the conflict in Nepal. The programme has supported Nepal’s peace process since 2008 (Phase I: USD 50 million and Phase II: USD 50 million). The third phase of the peace support programme has a financial frame of DKK 70 million and runs until 2013.
1) Support to the Government’s Nepal Peace Trust Fund (NPTF), which is the main vehicle for the Government of Nepal to directly support the implementation of the peace process. 2) Support to the multi-donor trust fund, the United Nations Peace Fund for Nepal (UNPFN), where Denmark acts as a lead donor. The UNPFN is aimed at supporting areas of the peace not addressed by the NPTF.3) Support to Nepal Police under the Ministry of Home Affairs to increase its effectiveness in crime investigation and its relations with the community. 4) Support to civil society activities aimed at strengthening the demand and supply of security provision that meets local needs, thus resulting in increased security, while also contributing to the development of stronger and more informed policy on security provision. 5) Strengthening of peace-building initiatives at local level in order to mitigate conflict by enabling dialogue and communication on conflict and security at community level. Thus, current communication and information gaps between central and district levels are addressed. For more background, please see the Extension of the Strategic Framework for Danish Assistance to Nepal.
Responsible desk officers at the Danish Embassy: Lis K. Christensen
liskch@um.dk