Security Sector Reform
Description
Despite the promulgation of a new constitution that dramatically decentralizes government responsibilities in Nepal, the nation’s security apparatuses remain highly insular and centralized. Security sector policies, and relationships between law-and-order agencies and the military, are still evolving within the new federal context. Certain security services may be devolved, whereas others cannot be. For example, the federal government will need to coordinate with provinces and municipalities on certain issues but will need to take the lead on others like terrorism, insurgencies, trafficking, industrial espionage, IT crime, and issues pertaining to the open border with India. Determining which security issues which will be handled by which level of government, and how the levels will cooperate, is of high priority and is a prerequisite to technical assistance.