Nepal, nestled in the Himalayas, is a landlocked country in South Asia renowned for its rich tapestry of diverse geography, climate, population, and biodiversity. This remarkable diversity, however, also places Nepal among the world's most vulnerable nations to natural disasters.
Over recent decades, Nepal has achieved considerable progress on human development, poverty reduction, and economic growth. These advancements have set the stage for Nepal's anticipated graduation to Middle-Income Country status by 2026.
Our partnership
The European Union is committed to supporting Nepal's journey towards democracy and federalism, as outlined in its new Constitution of 2015, alongside its goals for sustainable and inclusive development. These efforts align with Nepal's Five-Year Plan, the United Nations 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, and are further complemented by the EU's Global Gateway Strategy and the EU Indo-Pacific Strategy.
For the period of 2021-2027, the EU has laid out its support through the Multiannual Indicative Programme under the Neighbourhood, Development, and International Cooperation Instrument (NDICI-Global Europe). Within this framework, the EU has allocated EUR 209 million in grant funding for its partnerships with Nepal for the years 2021-2024. Additionally, Nepal benefits from various multi-country EU programmes.
Team Europe in Nepal brings together the EU, the European Investment Bank, Finland, France, and Germany.
- 8 MARCH 2022
- 31 OCTOBER 2024
- 13 NOVEMBER 2024
- 28 NOVEMBER 2023
- 6 DECEMBER 2022
- 17 DECEMBER 2021
Our flagship initiatives
- Energy
The European Union is actively assisting Nepal in reaching its ambitious goal of ensuring 100% access to electricity by 2030. This support is centered on fostering the development of markets for renewable energy technologies, as well as promoting energy efficiency measures and associated services. These actions are aimed at facilitating the transition to a green economy and establishing a society that is resilient to climate change. The country also benefits from support to regional energy connectivity and cross-border electricity trade between Nepal, India, Bangladesh, and Bhutan.
- Water and Sanitation (WASH)
The European Union is committed to enhancing access to Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) measures across the most isolated rural regions of Nepal. This initiative has successfully provided improved sanitation facilities to 300,000 individuals and enhanced drinking water access for 160,000 people.
- Education
Under the 'Quality Education for All' initiative, the European Union is dedicated to fostering a society in Nepal that is both well-educated and skilled. Team Europe's support is strategically targeted towards:
- Access to education: Increasing equitable and inclusive education to ensure that all children, particularly girls, have access to learning opportunities.
- Quality education: Focusing on the training of teachers and the adoption of modern and effective pedagogical methods. This includes revising curricula and learning activities to include information and communication technology (ICT), local languages, culture, geography, history, knowledge and skills, climate change, sustainable development.
- Governance: Promoting good governance within the school education system, enhancing intergovernmental coordination and collaboration, and building institutional capacity at the local level.
- Rural development
The European Union is dedicated to strengthening agricultural ecosystems in Nepal's Sudurpaschim and Karnali provinces through the initiative 'Green Resilient Agricultural Productive Ecosystems'. Team Europe's efforts are focused on:
- Green local economic development: Rural and urban municipalities benefit from technical assistance and small grants aimed at spurring investments in the local economic and agricultural investments.
- Value Chains: Actively supporting the creation and facilitation of Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs) within selected value chains.
- Research and innovation: Focusing on the expansion of innovative solutions and the dissemination of best practices, this effort enhances collaboration among universities and training institutions. It includes educating farmers on new practices such as integrated crop management, crop rotation systems, and the adoption of organic farming, agroforestry, and efficient water resource management strategies.
- Nutrition
Team Europe is committed to backing Nepal’s Multi-Sector Nutrition Plan, aiming to improve nutrition for mothers, teenagers, and children across the country.
- Women's empowerment
Team Europe is actively engaged in supporting Nepal's efforts to combat the root causes of gender inequality and social exclusion. The focus of these actions includes strengthening services for gender-based violence responses, promoting decent economic opportunities, and bolstering the capacity of institutions to promote and advance gender equality.