The Nepal Democracy & Development Initiative (NDDI) is a modest yet strategic effort at the India China Institute (ICI), to provide support for the establishment of inclusive democracy and to foster rapid socio-economic development in Nepal. Working in partnership with a wide range of organizations in the United States and Nepal, NDDI aims to: 

• Facilitate strategic support and resources to empower the marginalized people of Nepal and their elected representatives in the writing of Nepal’s new constitution that is truly inclusive and responds to the needs and aspirations of all Nepalis. 
• Support and strengthen capacity of existing leaders and scholars from marginalized communities, identify and support the development of new leadership capacity within marginalized communities in Nepal. 
• Help Nepal’s new leadership, particularly among the marginalized communities, to become more conversant with socio-economic development issues and empower them to influence in framing longer-term reconstruction and sustainable development plans that reflect the best interest of all Nepalis, including the historically deprived groups. 

NDDI will help achieve this by organizing capacity building workshops for Nepali leaders both in Nepal and in the United States; by facilitating experience exchange with other countries with similar multi-ethnic, multi-cultural characteristics as Nepal; and by arranging exchange among students and faculty members at The New School and relevant institutions in Nepal.

For further information, please contact: indiachina@newschool.edu

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Nepal is currently facing an unprecedented opportunity to develop a truly inclusive democracy and embark on a path toward sustainable development. The Nepal Democracy and Development Initiative (NDDI) at ICI is aimed at supporting and enhancing the capacity of those who are committed to the need and aspirations of marginalized communities. It aims to convene, connect, and facilitate critical inquiry, debate, and dissemination of analysis and findings on topics of fundamental importance to Nepal's governance and development. Its short-term goal is to deepen the debates directly related to re-writing Nepal's constitution, especially in terms of federal structure and social inclusion. Its long-term goals include increasing knowledge sharing, production and networks in the fields relevant to democracy and development, and building capacities to sustain democracy among the diverse stakeholders of Nepal's future. On a global scale, this initiative will contribute to a greater understanding of democratization processes and strategies for addressing social inclusion in societies with deep, complex, social stratification.

The core of the project is constituted by New School faculty such as Andrew Arato, Ashok Gurung, Tara Niraula, Sakiko Fukuda-Parr, and Sanjay Ruparelia. Capitalizing on its unique location in New York in proximity to many universities, the United Nations major international organizations, and a vibrant, Nepali diaspora, NDDI will invite scholars and experts from in- and outside Nepal to share insights and experiences on Nepal's unfolding challenges. Newly appointed ICI Senior Fellow Kul Chandra Gautam, former Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations, and Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, primarily based in Nepal, will contribute to this initiative as well.

Moreover, responding to a rapidly growing interest among students at The New School, NDDI in collaboration with the Graduate Program for International Affairs (GPIA) directed its first successful, eight-week summer program in Nepal involving five students from GPIA working on development and constitutional projects (GPIA plans to continue this program each summer). 

The New School has quickly become one of the most important places in the U.S. where serious dialogue on ideas and practice surrounding democracy and development in Nepal occur. ICI and NDDI represent the locus of this activity.

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A partial list of past Nepal events at ICI include:

Prospects and Challenges: Identity Politics in the New Nepal (September 30, 2008)

A Maoist Vision for a New Nepal - Public Talk by Pushpa Kamal Dahal, Prime Minister of Nepal (September 26, 2008)

Challenges of Meeting Quality Environmental Services Katmandu Valley (April 26, 2008)

Vision for a New Nepal: A Maoist Perspective (April 22, 2008)

Nepal's Fragile Peace Process (October 9, 2007)

Nepal Today: Challenges of Inclusive Democracy (May 19, 2007)

Nepal in Transition: The Terai Question (February 10, 2007)