Country Profile

Geography:
A landlocked country, Nepal is sandwiched between China to the north and India to the south. With an area of 147,181 square kilometers, the country measures about 885 kilometers in length (east to west) and 193 kilometers in width (North to South). A mountain zone, a hill zone and the Terai (or plain) comprise Nepal's three distinct geographical zones. Nepal contains eight of the world's highest peaks, including Mount Everest.

Politics:
Since 1990 Nepal has undergone considerable turbulence in its attempt to embrace more open political and economic systems. Despite achieving democratic rule in April 1990 in the wake of a 'People's Movement', the country soon faced internal armed conflict after the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist launched an insurgency in 1996.

After ten years of insurgency and counterinsurgency three weeks of mass demonstrations across the country, with strong participation by women and marginalized groups, brought an end to the King's direct rule, led to the restoration of Parliament and opened the way to the signature of a peace agreement between Nepal's seven main political parties' alliance and the Communist Party of Nepal-Maoist in November 2006.

This historic achievement was the culmination of a year-long process of negotiation between the signatories and an expression of the widespread desire of the people of Nepal to end a conflict that has claimed more than 13,000 lives and inflicted considerable physical, psychological, social and economic damage.

Consequently the Parliament was restored in April 2006 and the process of establishing peace in the country was initiated. The re-instated Parliament in January 2007 promulgated Interim Constitution which has established health right as a fundamental right of the citizens of Nepal and has laid down that every Nepalese citizen receive free health services. Subsequently the Interim Three-Year Plan (2007/08-2009/10) has the goal of preparing a basis for economic and social transformation for building a Prosperous, Modern and Just Nepal and the objective of the Government of Nepal is to realize changes in the life of people by reducing poverty and existing unemployment and establishing sustainable peace.

All parties have agreed to the election of a Constituent Assembly as the foundation for a more inclusive democratic system able to address the country's persistent problems of discrimination and social exclusion. The CA election took place on April 10th 2008. Nepal was declared the Federal Democratic Republic on May 28, 2008 during the first session of the Constituent Assembly.

However, there remain significant challenges for the implementation of laws and mechanisms to ensure the adequate representation of marginalised groups at all levels of decision-making.

Administrative Units:
Nepal is divided into a three-tiered system of administrative units: 75 District Development Committees, 58 Municipalities, and 3,914 Village Development Committees. Each tier has elected local governments, although these have not all been functioning effectively during the conflict.

Population:
More than 80 per cent of Nepal's population of 23 million live in rural areas. Nepal has a population growth rate of 2.25 per cent. Roughly one-third of the population lives below the poverty line, making Nepal one of the world's poorest and least developed countries.

Economy:
Agriculture, the mainstay of the Nepalese economy, provides a livelihood for three-fourths of the population and accounts for thirty-eight percent of Nepal's gross domestic product (GDP). Nepal remains among the poorest and least developed countries in the world. The conflict saw an estimated annual 2 per cent decrease in gross domestic product (GDP), and the average per capita GDP for 2004-2005 was only US $297. Although the incidence of poverty in Nepal decreased from 42 per cent in 1995-1996 to 31 per cent in 2003-2004, inequality as measured by the Gini coefficient increased from 34 per cent to 41 per cent. (Nepal Living Standard Survey 2003-2004, Central Bureau of Statistics, 2004)

Society:
According to a 2001 census, Nepal is home to 102 ethnic groups and 92 languages. The official language is Nepalese. The caste structure which historically formed the basis of Nepalese society continues to have an adverse influence resulting in discriminatory behavior towards certain groups.

At the intra-household level, the brunt of poverty is felt most by women and children. Due to prevailing social norms, women face special challenges; for example their access to information is limited, their work-burden is high, and their mobility is restricted. In 2001, for the first time in Nepal the life expectancy at birth was higher for females than for males. The life expectancy of women and men is 60.7 and 60.1 years respectively. According to Population Census 2001 of the Central Bureau of Statistics, over the past decade, there has been an unprecedented decline in fertility from 4.6 births per woman in 1996 to 3.1 births per woman in 2006. However, the population growth rate remains high and was 2.25 per cent in 2001. Young people aged 10 to 24 years comprise 32 per cent of the total population, a record high level presenting concomitant challenges. (Nepal Demographic and Health Survey 2006. Kathmandu, Nepal: Ministry of Health and Population, New ERA, and Macro International Inc.)

The decade-long conflict accelerated migration to urban areas. The conflict was a key factor in the increase of the urban population from 10 per cent in 1991, to 16 per cent in 2001, primarily due to the widespread migration of young people. Official data on international migration from Nepal indicates that the number of Nepalese living in foreign countries is over one million. (Kollmair M, Manandhar S, Subedi, B and Thieme S. New figures for old stories: Migration and remittances in Nepal. Migration Letters (October 2006) Vol. 3, No. 2, pp. 151-160) The increase in migration also contributes to a significant increase in HIV/AIDS risk among separated couples where one partner-typically male-lives abroad for long periods of time without sufficient knowledge of the risks involved in unsafe sex.

In Nepal, individuals over 60 years of age are considered elderly. According to the 2001 census of Nepal, there were 1.5 million elderly inhabitants, which constitute 6.5 percent of the total population in the country.