In collaboration with the Center for Security and Justice Studies, Niti Foundation organised a preliminary dialogue on ‘Transnational Crime and Border Management: Issues of Concern and Solutions’ on 24 March 2023. This event was the first in a series aimed at promoting discourse on border regulation and management to address the concerns of border populations while preventing and controlling transnational and cross-border crimes.
The dialogue brought together former and current representatives from the Federal Ministry of Home Affairs and the Federal Ministry of Defense, as well as officials from Lumbini Province Office of the Chief Minister and Council of Ministers. Participants included key security agencies—Nepal Army, Nepal Police, Armed Police Force, and National Investigation Department—as well as functional agencies such as the Department of Immigration and the Department of Customs. Human rights experts and academic representatives also contributed to the discussions.
The dialogue highlighted that the lack of an integrated legal framework leads to ambiguous mandates among operational agencies at border checkpoints and between federal, provincial, and local governments. It was found that the absence of a comprehensive border management policy results in independent and sometimes conflicting operations among security and functional agencies. Extreme climate conditions on the northern border and socio-cultural issues on the southern border further complicate effective border management. Additionally, the lack of Mutual Legal Assistance and Extradition Treaties with other countries limits global and regional cooperation on counterterrorism and transnational crime control.
From the dialogue’s preliminary findings, a course of action was proposed to provide the government with policy recommendations for effective border management and transnational crime prevention.
